


Of Blond Hair and Blue Eyes 2

by LadyElocin



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action, Angst, Comedy, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mpreg, OBHABE, OP verse, Pregnant Sanji, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-05-19 19:07:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 49,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14879508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyElocin/pseuds/LadyElocin
Summary: (This is the SECOND book. Please don't read this if you haven't read the first one. Thank you.)After the messy encounter in Whole Cake Island, things seemed to go back to normal and in their rightful places... or so Sanji and Zoro thought.A fallen kingdom. A missing child. An island with a dark past. What will they do if one of the deepest secrets of the world unravel right before their eyes?





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES. This came out earlier than expected because I never thought I would have this much free time this month. I hope you'll enjoy reading the second book as much as you enjoyed the first one. Thank you so much for staying with me until the second installment! :)
> 
> Also, thank you very much for all the love you've sent for this fanfic. I really appreciate all the artworks you've drawn for the story. *bows 90 degrees*

**Prologue**

**~ ~ ~**

Things were falling from the night sky.

He laid out his hand into the light, watching as featherweight debris drop on his palm like snow. And it would be better if it were. But, no.

They were a _shes_ , and the thought made him grit his teeth.

He could hear the canons firing and obliterating _everything_ in the island. There were people shouting, crying and begging to spare their lives, to run far away from the explosion and far from the punishing blades of the people dressed in _white_.

His eyes caught the words printed on the large white cape of a tall man standing on the deck of his ship: _Justice._

And he wanted nothing but to laugh at that. If justice was about slaughtering an entire country of innocent people, about destroying a centuries-old kingdom with just a few words from a person, then he’d rather die than live up to that awful word.

“Hey.”

He gasped and spun around quickly, unsheathing his dagger with practiced ease and pointing it toward the source of that soft voice. His eyes softened when he discerned the face of the woman in front of him. “Sister,” he uttered as he lowered down the blade.

“Take _him_ ,” the lady said and pushed a roll of blanket into his arms. He was about to protest when she silenced him, “take him to that _island_. I need to go back for my husband.”

“What? No! You’ll die!”

The lady swallowed and looked at him straight in the eyes. “ _Never_ let them have this kid, little brother. Promise me.”

Tears started to fall from his eyes and the canons became nothing but a mere whir to his ears. He couldn’t do anything but nod. He didn’t have any choice. It was meant to be this way.

His sister smiled softly at him and laid a hand on his head, that sweet, gentle touch which made his heart soar and ache at the same time. “I’ll always love you, little brother.” With a hasty kiss on his forehead, she turned on her heels and disappeared into the night, blending amongst the shadows as the walls crumbled behind her.

He fled, his feet taking him toward the shore as tears steadily stream down his face. When he found the boat which was prepared by his sister for him, he hopped inside and carefully laid down the blanket on his feet.

He rowed until his muscles were sore, until his lungs couldn’t take it anymore and until his eyes were dried with unshed tears. The whole island looked like a burning bonfire from afar, wild and relentless, spewing ashes and crackling flames.

His eyes landed on the myriad of ships surrounding the island. It was a miracle that he was able to escape from them. Without his sister’s help, he would probably be sinking at the bottom of the ocean by now.

Just like his country.

A subtle movement snapped him from his despair. Eyes lowering on the roll of blanket on his feet, he saw a small pair of eyes blinking blearily at him.

The baby yawned and he chuckled. “Good for you, little one,” he said as he placed the fragile creature on his lap, “you didn’t see how your kingdom was burnt to ashes. Didn’t understand the people’s cries.”

Lowering the blanket from baby’s face, he prodded his small hand gently, smiling as the little creature held his finger in a frail grip. His eyes caught the silver locket around the baby’s neck, lips parting a little on the clear print of the child’s name engraved on the shiny metal.

“You’ll see more of the world, little one,” he whispered as he looked at the baby’s golden eyes. “You’ll see how cruel the world can be to us. See how unfair it is. Especially for you.”

With his heart aching and with tears burning behind his eyes, he said, “You have to stay strong from now on, _Lukas_.”

 

-TBC

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank [savvy-bean](http://savvy-bean.tumblr.com) for beta'ing the first book. Seriously, you're amazing and wonderful. *sending hugs*
> 
> I have a new tumblr by the way. You can visit my blog [here.](http://ladyelocin.tumblr.com)


	2. The Life We Chose Together

**Chapter 1: The Life We Chose Together**

 

“There,” Sanji said as he fastened the remaining button. Smiling, he looked at Kaitarou’s white tuxedo and black pants, satisfied at how the material made his son look so goddamn handsome and adorable. _Shit_ , he thought, _he must’ve really taken after me._

“Where’s Daddy?” the kid asked.

“At the men’s bunk,” the cook answered as he put a small amount of powder on the kid’s face, “your Aunt Nami and Aunt Robin are helping him.”

Sanji wanted to laugh whenever the thought of his two beautiful ladies “helping” the Moss Head dress slipped into his mind. Dear Lord, he would give anything to see the bastard’s mortified expression as the two angels “clothe” him. That would be fucking awesome.

But Nami and Robin insisted for him stay inside the ladies’ room, raising a dainty finger as a warning and saying about this “no-peeking-until-the-wedding-starts” policy. He already told them not to make such a fuss about his and the Marimo’s wedding. For god’s sake, he wasn’t marrying a beautiful lady, a duchess or a renowned heiress! All of these preparations weren’t really necessary. However, the two ladies refused and coaxed him to let them manage the event. With a few gentle caresses and batting of long lashes, Sanji gave in. Because, fuck.

How could he deny anything from his lovely angels?

After making sure that he’d attended to all of Kaitarou’s needs, Sanji proceeded to clothe himself. It was a pair of wool white tuxedo and pants, streaked with silvery patterns which highlighted how fair his skin was. It was a very good suit, as expected of Nami and Robin.

When Zoro proposed to him a week ago, they stopped by a nearby island to shop for clothes. The ladies wouldn’t let him go with them though, reasoning that the Marimo would be the one to come with them for they didn’t trust Zoro to have a decent suit in his locker.

After asking Sanji for a pair of suit for his measurements, the ladies immediately disappeared from the ship, dragging the brute along with them, and that was practically the reason of Sanji’s grumpy mood all day. To which Luffy complained by the way.

After three days of being deprived of his ladies’ presence – nope, he _swore_ he didn’t think of Zoro during that period – the crew finally left the island after the three Straw Hats arrived, with Zoro serving as a pack mule and carrying two large boxes which, to Sanji’s guess, were their wedding suits.

The ladies were keeping him and Zoro in the dark, not letting each other see what the other would look like until the day of the wedding. His ladies were very much hyped about the whole marriage thing, thus Sanji didn’t have the heart to complain. Seeing his gorgeous angels being all excited and giddy made his whole being soar in delight. Ah, how divine it was to have his lovely flowers think about him!

After putting on his suit, Sanji looked at himself in the mirror. It was a perfect fit, the material hugging his torso and arms comfortably and the pants were just about the right length. He ran a hand on his chin, feeling the smooth texture of his newly shaved skin.

Well, shit. Nami and Robin told him to shave his goatee and mustache off this morning. It wasn’t really the first time he did – he sometimes shaved them off when he was still in Banaru Island – but somehow, he wasn’t that comfortable with the whole idea. It was a man’s thing, one might say. He really found his goatee attractive after all.

The door to the room opened, causing Sanji’s head to turn around. He was greeted with Nami and Robin’s beautiful dresses, their curves and supple bosoms making Sanji’s eyes pop out of their sockets and before he knew it, he was already sending flowery words to the lovely ladies.

Rolling her eyes, Nami waved a dismissive hand at him. “Right. Right. Now let’s get you dressed.”

Sanji paused. “But I’m already dressed, Nami-san.”

“No, you’re not.” Nami nodded at Robin and in a blink of an eye, a pair of hands appeared on the cook’s shoulders, holding a large crystal blue cape and deftly fastening them on his suit.

“Pardon me, Nami-san, but what’s this for?” Sanji asked as the hands vanished into thin air and leaving flower petals as their only trail.

Nami walked toward her wardrobe and when she turned around to face him, Sanji’s eyes landed on the medium-sized box being held by her delicate hands. Smiling, she stopped right in front of him. “You told me before that you’ve always wanted to marry a beautiful princess, right, Sanji-kun?” she uttered as she flashed him her coffee-brown eyes.

Sanji chuckled. “Well, yes. But you see, Nami-san, a certain Moss Head ruined that wonderful dream of mine.”

Nami’s smile broadened and she opened the royal blue box to let him see what was inside. Sanji’s eyes widened as his lips parted a little. Putting the box on the table and holding the material inside, Nami spoke, “I found this in the treasury. Probably from one of the stupid pirate ships that attacked us a couple of months ago. And when I first saw this, I couldn’t help but think how good it will look on you.”

Nami reached out her hands to put the jewelry around his head. Sanji felt the coldness of the crystal against his forehead, the silver band wrapping around his head perfectly as if it was meant for him. When he focused his eyes on the navigator, he saw a beautiful smile stretching his lovely flower’s red lips.

“That crystal looks just like your eyes, isn’t it, Sanji-kun? The color of the ocean.” Nami smoothed Sanji’s cape on his shoulders. “I know you don’t want to be a prince after all that happened,” she said softly as she flicked her eyes up at him, “but I want you to have all the glory that a prince has for the last time, just for this day.” She tapped Sanji’s nose playfully. “A wedding of a century that is fit for a handsome prince.”

Sanji wanted to cry. No. He wanted to _sob_. Fuck. How could he deserve such a kind and beautiful lady like Nami?

“Thank you, Nami-san,” Sanji replied with a fond smile.

Chuckling, Nami put a hand on her hip. “You know, Sanji-kun, if you were a woman, I think you’ll look prettier than me.” She flipped her curly sunset-colored hair over her shoulders. “And I will hate you for it.”

Smiling, Sanji shook his head. “You know you’ll always be the most beautiful lady for me, Nami-san.”

“Hush now, Sanji-kun.” Nami laid a hand on the cook’s tummy, winking as she said, “Tell that to me again after you and Zoro have a little girl.”

He wasn’t supposed to feel light at that, but he did anyway. Warmth spread across his cheeks and he couldn’t help the butterflies fluttering inside his chest. The navigator saw the bashful expression on the cook’s face, grinning as she watched her nakama squirm a little bit in front of her. _Shy idiot,_ she thought.

“Nami-san?”

Their attention turned toward the door where a lovely young lady was standing in a white floral dress, her ebony tresses tucked into a lovely bun behind her head and her emerald eyes shining like stars in the night sky.

“You look gorgeous, Sora-chan,” Sanji complimented her.

“You look handsome yourself, Sanji-san,” the young lady replied with a fond smile.

“What is it, Sora-chan?” Nami inquired.

Shifting her gaze toward the navigator, the corners of her mouth stretched wider as she said, “It’s time.”

* * *

 

“Stop pulling your collar, Zoro! Nami will get mad if you mess up your suit before the wedding starts,” Usopp complained.

Rolling his remaining good eye at how demanding that witch could be, he answered, “This thing's fucking wringing my neck.”

“You’ll get used to it! Just–argh–don’t touch it!” Usopp batted his hand away from his collar. “Sanji will be ready in a minute. Deal with it.”

Sighing in defeat and feeling his blood boil whenever he remembered how Nami and Robin “helped” him dress, he crossed his arms over his chest to summon the last strings of patience he had in store.

He originally planned to attend his wedding in his black coat, but then the two witches barged inside the men’s bunkroom so early in the morning and started stripping him, Robin pinning him down the mattress with her Devil’s Fruit ability and letting Nami do whatever the hell she wanted with him.

It was a fucking nightmare.

Nami shaved his stubble and gelled up his hair. It didn’t turn out to be as bad as he thought, but still, he wasn’t comfortable with the whole styling up thing.

 _“It’s your wedding day and you’re marrying a_ prince _, Dickhead!” Nami shouted at him. “You have to look good just once in your goddamn life!”_

_“The cook doesn’t give a shit,” Zoro countered._

_“Yeah, he doesn’t,” Nami replied and put a hand on her hip, “but_ I _do. So suck it up.”_

Shit. He swore that there were just so many things wrong in that conversation.

His eye looked at his reflection once again in the mirror inside the men’s bunk. He was wearing a pair of black tuxedo and pants, with silver patterns embroidered on the material, and gruesomely enough, there was a royal purple cape draped over his left shoulder. _The witch is overdoing it,_ he thought with a sigh.

“You look good, Zoro.”

When he turned his gaze to Usopp, who was also wearing a pair of formal black suit, he saw his nakama give him a thumbs up as he said, “Everything’s gonna be alright. Sanji will meet you outside. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worrying,” he replied stubbornly.

“I saw Sanji’s suit yesterday. It was drop-dead gorgeous and I know you’ll fall in love with him all over again when you see him wearing it,” the sharpshooter teased with a knowing smile.

Curiosity and excitement started to settle inside the swordsman’s chest, but he hid those emotions from his nakama and instead gave out a nonchalant expression. “The cook’s always wearing a goddamn suit. It wouldn’t make any difference.”

“Oh, it will. I tell you.” Usopp winked, laughing at the slightly embarrassed flush on the swordsman’s face.

Before Zoro could give him hell for teasing him, they both heard a soothing, rich tone coming from Sunny’s lawn. A wonderful melody which could resonate deep inside anyone’s heart.

“It’s time,” Usopp told him and proceeded to open the door of the men’s bunkroom.

As light struck the interior of the room, Zoro peered outside the door, making out Brook’s tall figure standing on the foremast, wearing a magnificent formal suit and playing a lovely concerto with his violin.

Zoro and Usopp walked toward the lawn, the swordsman’s eye roaming around the area and wondering how the hell his nakama were able to haul cherry blossom trees on their ship. “I bought the seeds from the last island and planted them on special pots that I use for my Pop Greens,” Usopp said when he saw the curious look on his nakama’s face, “had Chopper and Franky’s help to make a chemical for their rapid growth. The experiment turned out way better than expected as you can see.” Usopp laughed.

The cherry blossom trees were lined in two rows, giving way for the middle aisle between them. There were chairs and round tables near the flowery arch at the bottom of the aisle, and Zoro didn’t know if he would laugh at how organized this whole event was. Well, he had the two witches to thank for this. Not that he’d say it to their faces. Hell no.

The door to the girls’ room opened and his head turned around to see Sora coming out from the second floor. Nami and Robin walked out next, and Zoro’s smile stretched into an affectionate smile when he saw Kaitarou walking down the stairs with Nami, the navigator holding his hand so as not to let him trip on his way down.

His son was wearing a white tuxedo, partnered with black wool pants and damn, his kid looked so fucking adorable.

“Daddy!”

Zoro crouched and opened his arms as his kid ran towards him. Lifting Kaitarou up, he said, “You look good, son.”

“Your hair’s weird, Dad,” Kaitarou remarked.

The swordsman snorted. “It is. Make sure to tell that to Aunt Nami, yeah?” The kid smiled and nodded.

“Okay, you two,” Nami interrupted, “you’ll have plenty of time later. But for now–” Nami took Kaitarou from the swordsman’s hold “–concentrate on your wedding, okay, Zoro? Sanji’s coming down in a while.”

As if on cue, the melody that was being played changed, shifting into a slower one with richer and smoother notes. The wind blew and the salty spray of the ocean wafted under Zoro’s nostrils, creating a calming and wonderful scent together with the sakura trees placed on Sunny’s lawn. His eye shifted up…

And then he saw _him._

His crystal blue cape danced along with the wind as the cherry blossom petals fell on the distance between them. He was there, standing tall and proud with that white suit on and Zoro couldn’t tear his eye off of him as he descended the flight of stairs.

As the distance closed between them, Zoro could feel his heartbeat escalating. His mouth was parted in awe; he knew he looked stupid right now and his nakama wouldn’t let him live this one off, but he didn’t fucking care.

When Sanji was standing in front of him, just an arm’s length away, waiting to be held, to be touched, to be caressed, all of a sudden, Zoro’s world stopped spinning. The song sounded so distant to his ears; the lovely color of the sakura petals paled in comparison to the beautiful _blue_ eye he was staring at right now.

The blue crystal on the cook’s head jewelry highlighted his eyes even more, and once more, _fuck_ , once again, Zoro found himself falling into a deep chasm of burning emotions.

Nami’s voice resounded clearly inside his head: _“You’re marrying a prince, Dickhead._ ”

With that ornament around his head, the cook looked just like one. A crown prince. It appeared just like a shitty fairytale story which Zoro hated when he was a child, but goddamn was he feeling so lightheaded right now.

Fuck. Sanji was so beautiful.

“I know I look stunning and irresistible, but you can stop gaping at me now, Moss Head.”

Zoro’s mouth snapped shut and it was as if that cruel slow motion in his vision turned back to reality. Sanji saw the swordsman struggling for a reply, probably a retort or an insult, but the man couldn’t let a single word out.

Laughter bubbled inside Sanji’s throat and he looked up at the dumbfounded man in front of him. “You look handsome today, Zoro,” he complimented in a soft voice.

Zoro swore that his heart just skipped a fucking _mile_ because of that.

“Come on,” Sanji said, smiling, as he jerked his head toward the aisle.

They walked side by side as Brook continued to play that lovely melody with his violin. Sora, Ranport, the Straw Hats, as well as the Heart Pirates, were all seated on their respective tables, watching with happy smiles as the two lovers marched along the aisle.

Zoro and Sanji halted under the magnificent flower arch, gazes locked with each other, and that alone was enough to speak volumes on what they were feeling at the moment.

Someone cleared his throat and the two lovers turned their heads to the side.

“Can someone tell me why the hell Luffy’s wearing _that_?” Nami asked in exasperation as she pointed at her idiotic captain, who was wearing a white cassock with that stupidly long white fake beard plastered on his face.

“I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted,” Chopper sighed in defeat.

Nami sighed and shook her head, massaging her temple for she could feel a headache coming. “Luffy…”

He was the captain of the ship, so he had the authority to preside the wedding of his crewmates. It had the same legality like the ones done by lawyers or priests, because in a pirate’s world, the captain’s words were final and absolute. But, damn, Luffy wasn’t just _any_ captain, was he?

“Yosh! I mean, um, good afternoon, everyone!” Luffy spoke, changing and making his voice deeper somewhere between those lines.

“What the hell are you doing, Luffy?” Sanji asked with a deadpanned expression.

“Shi-shi-shi! I look great, right?” the captain laughed. “I prepared this costume especially for your wedding so both of you must appreciate this!”

The swordsman grinned at his captain’s stupidity as Sanji made a mental note to kick these two’s asses after this. “Whatever. Just get on with it,” Sanji said with a wave of his hand.

“Right. Um, where was I?” After looking at his notes scribbled on a small piece of paper, he said, “Oh, yeah! The vows. Uh, Sanji, do you have anything to say?”

“Ugh, Luffy! You’re supposed to guide them with their vows!” Nami whispered through gritted teeth.

“Whoa! Nami, put that vase down!” Usopp said as he tried to calm his nakama down.

The blond looked at the swordsman in front of him who was waiting patiently for whatever he was about to say. Heck. No one told him to prepare a shitty vow.

Thus, sighing in defeat, Sanji muttered a silent “screw it” before his eyes held Zoro’s gaze firmly. “I don’t know if I’ll be a good husband, nor do I promise to not kick the shit out of you ‘cause, well, you always annoy the hell out of me, Moss Head.”

The pirates laughed at Sanji’s foolish start and Zoro couldn’t stop the grin forming on his mouth. From that reaction, Sanji knew the swordsman was basically thinking of the same thing.

“I’ve always wanted to marry a beautiful princess. It was my dream, you know. But, well, it seems that the gods hate me,” Sanji continued and he saw the swordsman raise an eyebrow at that. “You’re loud, lazy-ass, scruffy, a heavy sleeper – far from the perfect princess that I’ve always dreamt of, and practically not someone whom you’ll wish to marry in your lifetime.”

A smile crept on the cook’s face when he said, “But here I am, standing in front of you, wearing this white suit and saying my shitty vows to you. I don’t know what the hell happened. It just did. And I don’t regret a single thing about it.”

Sanji dropped his eyes to his feet for a moment, swallowing for composure and to prepare himself for his next words. “I’ve been through a lot and I know that from the life I chose, I’m going to go through a lot more.”

Sanji lifted his eyes up to meet Zoro’s penetrating gaze. “So right now, Zoro, as I stand before you,” he continued, “I’m asking you to be the other half of me. To be with me always in times I need someone beside me. To pull me back up whenever I feel like backing down. To help me raise our children together, and to smile with me when I finally found All Blue. Will you do me this favor, Zoro?”

The swordsman regarded him seriously for a moment, grey eyes staring through him and boring a hole deep into his soul. “It’s not a favor, Cook,” he then answered, “even if you didn’t say all of those things, I want you to know that I’m planning to do just that.”

“Shit. I think I’m going to cry,” Usopp said as he dried his teary eyes on his sleeves.

“Chopper’s already crying though,” Robin uttered and smiled toward the small figure of their ship’s doctor, whose teeth were basically biting through a handkerchief as tears flowed down from his big round eyes.

Sanji smiled at the swordsman’s words and he couldn’t help the wonderful fluttery feeling engulfing his heart right now.

“How about you, Zoro?” Luffy spoke. “Do you have anything to say?”

Sanji saw the swordsman take a deep breath. All of them knew that Zoro was a man of few words. He was just not the type to speak long conversations, let alone make a speech in front of everybody. But when Zoro looked at him, he was taken aback by the sheer determination radiating from that ashen orb. There was nothing but seriousness and sincerity in his eye and Sanji forgot to breathe for a second.

“I’m not good with words, Cook. But believe me when I say that I will always love you.”

A shuddery breath came out from Sanji’s mouth because of those words – that short declaration of Zoro’s undying love and devotion to him.

“I’m a worthless man with just my dream to keep me on track, to keep me sane and living, but then you found me, corrected everything, and gave me another reason to live. You, Kaitarou and that unborn child inside you are the best things that ever happened to me, Shitty Cook. I will give everything to have you and our children safe. You are my _equal_ , so I’m asking you right now to stand beside me. To fight alongside with me. Will you do that for me…” he paused, “… _Sanji_?”

Fuck.

Sanji swallowed thickly as he felt his heart beating loudly inside his chest. He felt like he was going to burst, and the burning sensation behind his eyes were threatening to unleash a dam of emotions he held towards the great man standing right in front of him.

“I will,” he said when he found his voice once again though sounding a bit hoarse to his own ears, “of course, I will. Idiot.”

A smile slowly tugged the corners of the swordsman’s mouth and Sanji found himself mirroring that same beautiful smile.

“Ah, shit.” Nami wiped a tear from her eye before it could start to ruin her makeup. “Really. These two idiots.” Usopp and Robin chuckled beside her. It was a bit of a surprise that Zoro managed to speak out his feelings to Sanji, let alone in front of a crowd. The pirates were all smiling and Sora and Ranport were both happily staring at the two lovers tying the knot under that majestic flower arch.

“And, uh, now that you’re done…” Luffy glimpsed at his notes. “Next one is the exchange of rings!”

Zoro and Sanji both turned their heads to Kaitarou, who was walking toward the arch holding a maroon-colored pillow with two golden rings neatly arranged on top of it. Both pirates smiled at the happy grin on their son’s face.

“Do we still have to say something before we put these rings on, cap’n?” Sanji asked.

“Uh, yeah, Nami said something about that. But I forgot the exact words, so you can exchange them now!” Luffy said with a broad, childish grin on his face.

Sanji laughed. Just like what he’d expect from his captain.

Sanji bent down and planted a kiss on his son’s forehead before he took the ring from the pillow. He heard Nami saying something, probably complaining about Luffy’s stupidity, but he pushed that aside and focused on the ring in his hand.

It was just a simple golden ring, with the words “ZS” carved on the inside. It was perfect.

Sanji took a step closer and held Zoro’s left hand. With his heart beating loudly inside his chest, he slowly slid the object on the swordsman’s ring finger.

Zoro’s lips twitched into a smile and he bent down to pat his son’s head before taking the ring from the pillow. His grey eye settled on the cook as he held his left hand.

Sanji forgot to breathe. The whole time the ring was sliding on his finger, Zoro didn’t take his eye off him. It was as if the man was savoring this moment, solidifying his eternal promise to Sanji through that object as he looked straight into his eyes.

Sanji swallowed the thick lump of emotion threatening to spill from deep within his chest. He opted to contain it, to allow it to brew longer inside him, to feel its richness and lush growth.

It was love. Strong, deep, passionate love.

After Kaitarou ran back to his table, Luffy spoke, “And with that, you may now kiss the bri–uh–I mean, groom! Yeah. But, which one?” The captain tilted his head to the side in confusion.

“Oi, we don’t have to kiss in front of them, Cook,” the swordsman said, frowning.

Sanji could hear the embarrassment in his voice and being the considerate lover that he was, he chose to poke the spot that would hurt more. Grinning and cocking his head to the side, he said, “Such a cute little baby you are, Marimo.”

The swordsman’s eyebrows twitched. “I’m not a fucking baby, Shitty Cook.”

The cook licked his lower lip and took a step closer. “Then prove it,” he challenged him before placing a hand behind Zoro’s neck and claiming his lips for a passionate kiss.

The swordsman’s eye widened as he heard the pirates rejoicing and clapping their hands. Exuberant cheers were heard from their nakama as Usopp was left with the chore of covering Kaitarou’s eyes as his fathers kissed their lives away under the arch.

Sanji wanted to laugh at the shocked expression on the Marimo’s face, but just after a short while, Zoro was able to adjust and started to melt himself in their kiss.

Before they parted, Zoro bit Sanji’s lower lip gently and the look on his eye made the blond shiver ever so slightly. It was a look promising a good challenge, a hooded gaze filled with strong desire which could eat him up alive. Zoro never failed to fire his system up. The man just knew which buttons to press to ignite his deepest emotions. It had always been like that, and it would stay like that as long as they both lived.

“Shitty Cook,” the swordsman whispered.

“Damn Marimo,” Sanji replied with a grin.

“Great!” Luffy cheered. “I now declare you husband and–uh–husband! Yeah. Congratulations!”

Nami walked toward the arch and gave the lovers each a glass of wine. Without further ado, Ranport stood from his seat and raised his glass to propose a toast for them. The other pirates lifted their glasses as well as the old doctor said with a smile, “To the newlyweds.”

“To the newlyweds!”

Sanji laughed when the pirates downed the wine like unmannered brutes. Well, they were used to sake and beer mugs after all.

Turning his attention back to the man beside him, to the love of his life, Sanji raised his glass and said, “To us?”

Eyeing the offered drink for a moment, the swordsman’s lips curled into a smile before he clinked his glass with his husband. “To us.”

Sanji grinned and the two of them linked their arms together to drink their wine, eyes never leaving each other as the bitter liquid burn down their throats. When the wine ran out and they finally pulled apart, Sanji gazed affectionately at his husband’s grey eye to capture and preserve this exact moment, this exact loving expression on Zoro’s face right into his mind, never letting this memory fade away. Not even until death.

Zoro took a golden lock of hair, gently stroking it with his thumb and forefinger. He didn’t say a single word for a few seconds, but the soft and fond look on his face spoke volumes of his love for Sanji.

“So we did it,” the swordsman said.

“Yeah,” the cook replied as his heart soar by the mere truth and reality laid before his eyes. He and Zoro vowed their love for each other right in front of their son, with their nakama and friends as their witnesses.

As the sakura petals fell down like snow on Sunny’s lawn, as the cool breeze carry the ocean’s salty spray, and as the gentle wind kissed their skin softly, Sanji couldn’t help but smile at the strong and wonderful man standing proudly in front of him.

Roronoa Zoro. The Pirate Hunter. The Demon of East Blue. And the world’s future greatest swordsman.

An honorable man. A faithful friend. A great father.

And he was _his._

Forever.

 

-TBC

* * *

 


	3. Tangled With the Waves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is unbeta'd so please forgive any errors.

**Chapter 2: Tangled With the Waves**

 

The after-party was held in the Sunny that afternoon, livened up by Brook’s piano and by barrels of liquor that were being emptied by drunk-ass rowdy pirates. Although Nami insisted for Sanji to just sit down and enjoy his special day, the blond still helped with preparing the buffet for the guests.

It got a bit out of hand, especially with Luffy on board, and the chore became too much of a hassle for his lovely ladies to handle on their own. The day went by peacefully – though being a relative term for “not getting chased by marines in broad daylight.”

As the last rays of sunlight hid behind the horizon, seemingly bashful of the stars glittering in the night sky, Sanji walked toward the deck to enjoy the awesome breeze. It had been a wonderful day, albeit a bit tired for cooking nonstop for his guests and for his gluttonous captain. Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, Sanji flicked a curious eye toward the direction of the swordsman.

Zoro’s hand was occupied with a large beer mug, the effervescence foaming out and splashing in his every move. His swords were now strapped on his right hip, feeling much more comfortable with their presence as he continued to enjoy himself in the party.

He was grinning like a stupid fool as he watched Usopp and Chopper dance on the tabletop. A Heart Pirate threw his arm around Zoro’s shoulders and they both clanked their mugs together, drinking and afterwards laughing when Luffy fell off a table for dancing like a baboon.

Feeling the corners of his mouth curve into an affectionate smile, Sanji indulged himself with the light and warm feeling brewing inside his chest, savoring every last bit of fluffiness stuffing his heart.

“Zoro-san looks very happy today.”

Shifting his gaze from the swordsman to the lovely young lady standing beside him, Sanji offered a kind nod and then said, “He is.” He shook his head, feigning irritation. “That alcoholic Moss Head.”

Chuckling, Sora commented, “Well, that ‘alcoholic Moss Head’ you’re referring to is your _husband_ , Sanji-san. You might want to woo him with heartfelt endearments from now on. You’re good at that.”

A slight flush warmed Sanji’s cheeks as his mind mulled over the fact that Zoro was _indeed_ his husband now. Gone were the days where Mr. Prince was an eligible bachelor and a devout ladies’ man. The coldness of the gold ring seeping through his skin as it wrapped around his finger was the undeniable proof of his current status.

_Married._

As wonderful as it sounded, Sanji felt a slight tug inside his chest as his thoughts finally absorbed the word and buried it deep inside his mind, repeatedly reminding him that from now on, he had a _real_ family which he could hold on to.

“Zoro’s not the type to appreciate pet names, Sora-chan,” Sanji said with a tinge of mirth in his voice. “He’ll punch my face in if I try to call him ‘sweetheart.’”

Laughing at Sanji’s farcical predicament, Sora said, “My dad told me that when he called my father ‘darling’ for the first time, my father’s face went so red that my dad thought he got allergic on something.” The silly story made Sora smile, though her eyes looked lost into the vast dark ocean ahead and seemingly devoid of any kind of humor.

Sanji sensed the shift of air around the young lady and as if on cue, his hand rested on top of Sora’s head which snatched her gaze from the waters to the blond beside her. “How’re you holding?” Sanji asked as his eyes remained trained in front of him.

Casting her gaze down on her feet, she swallowed and said, “I’ll be fine.”

“That’s not an answer to my question, Sora-chan.”

Hands clutching on the skirt of her white dress and feeling a familiar ache lurch inside her chest, she replied with an unsteady voice, “I miss my dad, Sanji-san.”

Sanji nodded in understanding and tugged Sora toward his chest, catching the young lady in surprise at the sudden show of affection. “You know you can cry on me anytime, right?”

Swallowing the lump in her throat and fighting back the sting behind her eyes, she nodded and muttered, “I know.”

“You don’t have to hold anything in by yourself. I’m always here for you.”

At those words, Sora’s lower lip quiver and her hands clutched on Sanji’s coat as silent tears started to stream down her face. The blond kept his eyes straight, not once tempting a glance on the young lady as she poured her heart out against him. Sora entrusted him this moment of weakness and damn was he certain to respect that.

His fingers threaded through black tresses and speaking softly, he said, “Vallo-san’s proud of you for being strong, Sora-chan. For letting the pain go.”

She sniffled and buried her forehead further against the blond’s chest. “Thank you, Sanji-san. I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

“Just let it all out,” Sanji replied, “I’m not going anywhere.”

He waited for the young lady to calm down, and when she did, Sanji withdrew his hand from her hair and looked at her tearstained emerald eyes. Losing her father had deeply wounded her. But as time passed by and through the help of the nice people around her, she would eventually heal, albeit the scar would remain forever. “If ever you feel like crying, you can come to me and your grandfather, okay?”

Nodding as a gentle smile started to form on her lips, relieved from a part of the heavy load currently lodged inside her chest, she answered, “Okay.”

* * *

 

Sanji stared in disbelief as Nami threw a duffel bag on his feet. “There. I packed everything for you and that brute,” she said in a chirpy manner as a wink made Sanji recoil in embarrassment, “including the _essentials._ ”

“N-Nami-san,” Sanji whined as his whole face flared at the suggestive words of his nakama. Just how the _fuck_ did he get into this dreadful situation?

_“Nami-san!” Sanji called as he walked toward his nakama who was busy playing poker with the lousy Heart Pirates. Those goddamn fools. The whole world knew no one would win a gamble against his lovely angel._

_“Yes, Sanji-kun?” she said, eyes still focused on the cards in her hands._

_“We’re approaching an island.”_

_“Oh, yeah. Right.” The navigator threw her cards on the table and smirked. “Royal flush. I win. You bastards better give me my money when I come back.”_

_The Heart Pirates groaned in dismay as the navigator smoothed her skirt after she stood up from her seat. Walking beside her, Sanji asked, “You were expecting to dock on that island?”_

_“Oh, yes! Of course. Here.” Handing him a piece of paper, she informed him, “That’s the receipt to the beach house I booked a few days ago in that island. You might want to keep that when you and Zoro barge into their doorstep.”_

_“We–_ what _?” Sanji asked in slight shock and confusion._

_Folding her arms under her ample breasts, a knowing smirk graced the navigator’s lovely features as she said, “Well, you two need a honeymoon night, right? Consider that as my wedding gift for you both.”_

_Nami winked before turning her back on him and commanding Franky to take on the wheel to guide their ship toward the island, leaving Sanji standing on the same spot agape and at a loss for words on the implication of what his nakama had just said._

“Pardon me, my flower,” Sanji struggled as his hand rubbed on his neck, “but all of these aren’t really–”

“It _is_ necessary.” Frowning and pointing an accusing finger at him, she said, “It’s natural for newlyweds to consummate their marriage!”

“Consu–” Sanji couldn’t even dare to finish the word.

Nami smirked, clearly overjoyed by the blond’s embarrassment. “Come on, Sanji-kun. It’s not like you haven’t done it with Zoro before.”

“Oh, God.” Sanji buried his face on his right hand, feeling his cheeks burn against his palm. The navigator guffawed and struck his shoulder repeatedly. _Just kill me now_ , Sanji thought.

When her laughter died down, she turned her head toward the swordsman’s direction, who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to whatever Chopper was saying to him. The doctor looked uneasy as he talked to him, his hooves rubbing awkwardly on his head and offering a bashful smile to the man.

“Oi, Zoro!” When her nakama shifted his gaze to her, Nami said, “You’d better get going! It’s getting late.”

Grunting in response, the swordsman rolled his remaining eye before calling for the blond and jerking his head toward the island. “Come on, Cook. Witch’s getting bitchy.”

“Oi. Don’t talk to Nami-san like that, Shithead!”

“Go on. We’ll take care of Kaitarou. Promise,” Nami assured him with a smile. Sanji didn’t know if he would thank her, but out of courtesy for his flower’s efforts, he did anyway and snatched the bag from the wooden floor before jumping down the ship.

“They’re gone?”

Nami nodded as Usopp approached her, holding Kaitarou inside his arms. “Yeah,” she said, “they’ll be back in the morning. Or afternoon.” She winked. “If they weren’t so _exhausted_.”

Sighing because of the navigator’s salacious intent, Usopp replied, “You didn’t do anything weird, right?”

“Nah, don’t worry.” She slapped his back. “I’m not that evil, you know. I just want them to spend some time together alone.”

“Where are Papa and Daddy going?” Kaitarou asked as his blue eyes trailed the figures of his two fathers disappearing into the island.

“Well, Kai-chan,” Nami tried to explain with a smile, “you know, when people get married, they go on what they call ‘honeymoon.’ It’s where babies are made.”

“Oi!” Usopp interjected. “Don’t tell the kid weird things!”

“It’s not weird, idiot,” Nami countered with a dramatic roll of her eyes, “it’s the truth.”

“So that’s where my baby sibling was made?” Kaitarou asked with a curious look.

Chuckling, Nami shook her head, “No, dear. Your baby sibling was made a month ago when–”

  
“Okaaaay.” Usopp turned the kid away from the navigator, shunning him away from any inappropriate education from the sly woman. “It’s time for you to sleep, Kaitarou. Let’s get you to bed.”

Laughing as Usopp walked away, she waved at Kaitarou to bid him good night. Even though the sharpshooter tried to save the kid from an unseemly conversation, she could still hear the child bombarding his nakama some questions like “how was my baby sibling made?” and “will Papa and Daddy make more siblings for me?”

Usopp looked troubled and Nami couldn’t help the smirk forming on her red lips.

“Hey, Chopper.”

The little doctor walked toward her. “Hm?”

“What did you say to Zoro earlier?” she asked curiously. Surprisingly enough, the doctor’s face went bright red as his round eyes dropped down to his feet. Well, her interest just piqued because of that.

“Uh, well… Uh,” Chopper tried to speak as he fidgeted on his hooves, “can I just whisper it to you?”

“Oh, sure.” Bending down and placing her hands on her knees, she listened carefully as Chopper whispered to her ear.

The doctor’s face burnt brighter when he pulled away and Nami lost it. Several heads turned toward her way as she laughed her ass off. “That’s–that’s fucking awesome, Chopper! Great job!”

“I hope Zoro listens. It’s for the best.”

Wiping off tears from her eyes, Nami tapped the doctor’s head and assured him, “Oh, he will. Don’t worry.”

The navigator glanced toward the sandy ground where the two Straw Hats walked on earlier, grinning broadly to herself as she reckoned that it would undoubtedly be an _awesome_ night for those two love-struck idiots.

* * *

 

“Why am I carrying this again?” Zoro asked irritably as he pulled on the leather strap of the duffel bag on his shoulder.

“’Cause you’re the pack mule, dumbass.”

The place was a Palm Tree Island, bathed in a tropical climate that was suited best for beach resorts. After bantering nonstop and a few “Zoro-maneuvering,” the two pirates were able to reach the beach house that was indicated in the receipt, thankful that the envelope included a small map that Sanji could use to navigate the area.

An old man was standing on the house’s doorstep, smiling as he took the envelope from the blond and inviting them inside the house. “My name’s Yasu. The keys are in that drawer,” he said, “and if you need anything, you can call me through that den den mushi placed on the end table.”

Sanji nodded as Zoro threw their bag on the couch. “Thank you, Yasu-san.”

The old man flicked his eyes back and forth between the two men, and with a teasing smile, he said, “You two suit each other perfectly, young man. Your husband there looks so handsome as well.”

Sanji didn’t know how to respond to that. He found himself offering a bashful smile as heat started warming up his cheeks. “I–uh–thanks. I guess.”

Nodding in return, the old man excused himself and made his way out of the house. Sanji took in a deep breath to stabilize his throbbing heart. Seriously. He wasn’t expecting that kind of conversation with the old man.

The beach house was neat and well-ventilated, allowing the cool breeze from the ocean to circulate inside and giving the upholstery a faint whiff of its salty spray. Sanji’s eyes landed on the solid figure leaning against the door frame, his arms folded over his thick chest as his head was turned toward the calm waves undulating against the fine white sand.

The moonlight passing through the glass door highlighted the swordsman’s angular features, causing Sanji’s heart to skip a beat as he stared at the sharp jawline of his husband. After taking some time for his musings, Sanji breathed in deeply and let himself be dragged by his feet toward the glass door.

Sensing his approach, the swordsman threw a glance at his husband and was a bit muddled by his silence as he reached for the handle and wordlessly slid the door open. After a few steps on the white sand, Zoro spoke, “Where’re you going?”

Halting in his track, Sanji slowly looked at him over his shoulder with an insinuating smile plastered on his face. “Just out for a swim.”

With that, the swordsman’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he watched the blond walk toward the shore. Zoro felt a _tingle_ inside his stomach. Was he reading the cook wrong or was he really tempting Zoro to follow him with that playful smile?

The swordsman debated against it. Even though Nami – that cunning witch – intended for him and Sanji to have sex tonight, he would try to control himself. The cook was carrying a child inside his womb and if he weren’t careful–

Zoro’s eye widened when he saw Sanji stripping his clothes off, starting from his shirt and pants and then down to his boxers and underwear, tossing them on the white sand beside him and wordlessly dipping his feet into the cold water.

Zoro’s throat felt dry as the blond continued to submerge himself, stopping waist-deep into the water before bending forward to wet his blond locks. The cook flipped his head up, the drops of water sprinkling into the air like shimmering stars, as the man ran his hands through his hair.

The soft light of the moon was basking the cook’s pale skin with a rich blue glow, causing Zoro’s mouth to water at the explicit sight, and before he knew it, his feet were already taking him closer to the beautiful man bathing in front of him.

* * *

**Warning: Mature content ahead.**

* * *

 

His swords and clothes hit the sand at once, his mind clouded with a strange haze which beckoned him to walk himself into the water and to come closer to his lover. If Sanji sensed his approach, then he didn’t give a slight concern about it, keeping his eyes closed as he bathed himself under the majestic moonlight.

Zoro stopped behind him and pressed himself against his back, wrapping his arms around the blond as his lips trailed soft kisses upon his neck and left shoulder. “Beautiful night, isn’t it?” he heard him say.

He hummed in response and kept his eye closed as he darted the tip of his tongue gently against that pale, inviting skin, tasting a mixture of salt and an intricate sweetness which made his gut coil, that burning sensation crawling inside his veins until it set ablaze inside his chest. He heard a low moan from the blond when he bit the lobe of his ear, gently tickling him with his breath and causing the hairs on his skin to stand up.

Zoro explored Sanji’s body with his hands, the pads of his fingers dipping into hard ridges and firm curves that made the blond hitch in his own breath. Sanji wasn’t soft in the least, he was lean and powerful, not delicate but strong – wonderful.

 _Perfect_.

“Zoro,” the blond said breathily as his body absorbed every ounce of gentle touches that the swordsman was giving him.

“Cook, I want you,” Zoro whispered behind his ear and those words alone caused a heavy load to drop inside his gut.

“Fuck,” Sanji cursed before turning around and snatching his husband’s lips into a strong, passionate kiss. His arms hooked around the swordsman’s neck before he dipped his tongue inside his mouth.

With battling tongues and rough bites, with their mouths fighting for dominance, the swordsman placed his hands behind Sanji’s thighs and pulled him up against him in one swift motion. Sanji’s legs automatically wrapped around the man’s hips, his mouth never once leaving his lover’s lips, as he felt the other man move and carry him toward the shore.

His back hit the fine sand gently before he knew it, and he was quite surprised at how careful Zoro laid him down. When the swordsman pulled away, Sanji took the time to gaze at the swordsman’s grey eye, that alluring ashen orb which was now hooded with desire and love for him.

Reaching out for the man, Sanji placed a hand on Zoro’s cheek and said with a smile, “I want you, too, Marimo.”

Zoro’s Adam’s apple bobbed and with a breathy curse, his mouth landed on every inch of pale skin that he could reach, ravaging Sanji’s neck with open-mouthed kisses and blemishing his skin with soft and rough bites, leaving bruises which would need a few days or a week to heal.

The swordsman’s tongue lapped on Sanji’s pink bud, taking it inside his mouth and earning him a long moan from the blond beneath him. “Fuck,” he heard him say.

His lips traveled down Sanji’s abdomen, licking and biting softly, taking his time to plant a heartfelt kiss on the faint horizontal scar under the blond’s navel. His fingertips brushed against his lover’s stomach and silently, he muttered, “Sprout.”

A newfound flush made its way toward Sanji’s face as the reality of what Zoro just did hypnotized him. The man was _talking_ to their unborn child, gently cradling it with his fatherly words. And because of that, Sanji’s heart felt like bursting.

“The baby might answer you, you know,” Sanji answered teasingly, “you’ll be surprised.”

A lopsided grin twitched the swordsman’s mouth as he said, “Then tell the kid to shut his eyes down. Don’t want him seeing what I’m gonna do to his Dad.”

“You–” Sanji became _speechless_ for a moment as he blinked at the man with wide eyes “–you goddamn bastard…”

Laughing at his rattled reaction, Zoro’s head bent down and let his lips do the work for him. The blond choked in a gasp when his teeth grazed the erogenous skin on Sanji’s inner thigh. His lover was sensitive in that area, thus he took his time biting the skin there.

When Sanji felt his husband’s lips kissing its way toward his sensitive organ, the blond buckled up and gripped Zoro’s hair, saying, “Wait, Zoro. You don’t–”

“I want to,” the man answered, seemingly knowing what he was about to say. When the blond didn’t respond, he darted his tongue out to give the shaft a gentle lick, thereby earning him a throaty moan from his lover which urged him to go further. And he _did_. Fuck. He did.

Sanji tried to suppress the scream brewing inside his throat as Zoro engulfed him _whole_. His fingers curled on the white sand, feeling the slightly rough texture bite on his palms. It wasn’t long when he was coming, that tight knot lodged inside his gut from the moment he saw Zoro leaning so strongly and handsomely against the door frame, getting undone quickly by the swordsman’s skillful mouth, and shit was he so screwed.

He saw Zoro wiping his seed off from the corners of his mouth, but before the man could utter a single word, Sanji snapped his hips up and flipped them around quickly, effectively pinning down the shocked swordsman underneath him.

“Cook, what the–”

“My turn,” Sanji said and began sucking on his husband’s tanned neck.

The swordsman gave out a deep breath before gripping the blond’s shoulders. “Oi,” he said, “you don’t have to do it for me.”

“Shut up,” Sanji replied with false irritation, “let me enjoy myself, Shitty Algae.”

With his mouth twitching up, Zoro asked, “So you weren’t enjoying yourself earlier, huh, Cook?”

“Earlier’s one thing,” Sanji said as his tongue ran through his lower lip, “and this one’s another.”

The swordsman chuckled and threw his hands up in the air. “Alright,” he capitulated, “lemme see what you’ve got, Curlybrow.”

The blond’s lips curved into a smile as he sensed the challenge in Zoro’s words. And without further ado, he let his hands and lips venture the glorious tan skin laid bare right in front of him, fervently sucking on every edge and tasting every inch as if Zoro’s body was air itself.

He kissed every scar, every blemish marring Zoro’s skin, treating them as substantial and sublime as the man’s dream – those accumulated marks on his body which helped mold the swordsman to who he was right now.

Strength. Honor. Discipline. Bravery. They were all reflected on the swordsman’s skin through these marks and Sanji wanted him to know how much he admired him for it.

The first time his lips and tongue touched that sensitive skin on Zoro’s shaft, a burst of emotion exploded right inside his chest. His first taste on that slightly bitter liquid which was inherently screaming of “Zoro” spoiled his mind with a strong carnal need to strip the man open. The feeling and taste was intoxicating – addicting – and he didn’t know that he was so into it until he felt Zoro’s fingers curl on his hair to stop his head from bobbing up and down his length.

He released it with a ‘pop’ and his eyes examined the lust-filled stare of his husband on him. Zoro’s lips were parted as slightly ragged breaths came in and out of his mouth. He sat down properly, taking Sanji up with him, and said, “Let me in, Cook. Now.”

Kneeling and with the swordsman’s thighs between his, Sanji’s eyes roamed around the area, searching for any signs of life aside from them. It was a secluded beach house, located at the farthest side of the coast and tucked away from the others.

Nami did a pretty good job in picking the place.

Wrapping his arms around the swordsman’s neck, he whispered, “Beach house.”

“No,” the man replied, “I can’t wait.”

Without another word, the swordsman touched the head of his dick with his fingers, gathering a decent amount of thick liquid before slipping a digit inside the cook’s entrance.

“Oh, fuck!” Sanji cursed as he felt the sting of the intrusion, his eyes shutting firmly and arms wrapping tighter around the swordsman’s neck.

He heard Zoro breathe an apology against his chest. Thus shaking his head, he said, “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

The swordsman nodded and continued to stretch him open, sometimes pressing soft kisses on his chest every time he felt Sanji’s nails scratching on his shoulders. “It’s enough,” Sanji whispered after a few minutes of preparation, “I’m ready.”

“But–”

“I can take it. Go.”

Zoro studied him for a while, looking for any sign of hesitation from the cook’s visible blue eye. When he thought that everything was fine, he said, “Ride me.”

“Excuse me?” Sanji said in surprise.

“I don’t want to put my weight on you,” Zoro reasoned out, “dangerous for the baby.”

Lips parting because of the swordsman’s unexpected words, Sanji asked, “Where’d you get that idea?”

At that, the swordsman grinned. “Chopper.”

Oh. Hell. No.

“What the _fuck_?” Yeah. That was basically what Sanji could only say right now.

“Crazy, right?” Zoro put his hands on Sanji’s hips to guide him down his length. “Told me to be careful. Be mindful of the baby.”

Oh my God. Chopper did _not_ just give Zoro an advice about sex. No. Sanji couldn’t believe that shit.

Wincing as the first ring of muscle was spread wide open, he asked, “What else did he tell you?”

The question made Zoro’s mouth split into a wide lecherous grin and then he answered, “He told me that I can come inside you. Won’t be a problem for the baby, fortunately.”

Sanji’s jaw _dropped._

And the swordsman laughed at his husband’s stupid reaction. “Come on, Cook,” he urged on as he claimed Sanji’s lips for a kiss, “let’s get this done.”

When he was settled fully inside the blond, the swordsman caressed his lover’s face and kissed the tight knot between his eyebrows, waiting patiently for Sanji to adjust to his length. When the blond opened his eyes, he pushed the swordsman down on the sand, knocking the wind out of his lungs painfully and saying, “Be a good boy and stay down. I’ll move.”

Oh, _shit_. Zoro felt his dick twitch at those words and from the raised eyebrow of his husband who was currently straddling him, he knew that the man felt it too. “Quite excited, are we, Moss Head?” Sanji teased him.

Hiding the blush tainting his cheeks with a cocky smirk, he dared him, “Heh. Let’s see what those legs are made for, shall we?”

The irritating arrogance fired up a challenge between the two and Sanji found himself grinning as he moved his hips against his husband’s length. The first few grinds were slow, almost teasing, until he came up with a steady pace which had him gasping and moaning Zoro’s name.

The swordsman placed his hands on Sanji’s hips to help his movements. And after a while, the blond leaned forward to kiss him, his left hand caressing the swordsman’s face softly as he abused his lips, and feeling the other man’s heat against his skin. It wasn't long when the change of angle took its toll and Sanji moaned as a particular thrust hit that spot inside him.

“Shit. Ah,” he cursed.

The swordsman took it as his cue to sit up straight, hands firmly holding the blond’s bruised hips as his lover stared back at him in shock. Sucking on the pale skin of Sanji’s neck, the swordsman continued to guide the blond’s movements on his lap. Sanji’s legs were strong and if the man would will it so, he could break Zoro’s hipbones right now with just a simple flick of his thighs.

“Zoro. _There_. Ah,” Sanji moaned breathily against his ear.

With his palms snaking down from Sanji’s hips to his buttocks, Zoro squeezed those two mounds of plump flesh with both hands, causing the blond to gasp and jerk forward against his chest.

Zoro spread Sanji _wide_ as he continued to ride him, his nails digging painfully on the swordsman’s back and shoulders everytime he hit his prostate. Sanji felt his gut coiling, knotting his release painfully inside him as the tension built up.

“Zoro,” he breathed, “Zoro, I’m close.”

Nodding, the swordsman pulled the blond closer against him and said, “Go on, Cook. Come for me.”

Sanji moaned in response and a few more solid thrusts against his sweet spot made his whole body shake violently, spurting his seed between them as the swordsman let him ride his release.

He kept Sanji close to him, steadying him as the blond’s orgasm caused his mouth to suspend in the air with a wanton moan and his legs to convulse with sheer, exquisite pleasure.

Sanji’s entrance clamped down on him, his walls pulsating against his length, and that reason alone was enough to bring Zoro into completion. Sanji’s name rolled out from his mouth, tangled with a few gentle and rough curses and silent love confessions which made his heart throb painfully inside his chest.

Forehead dropping down on Zoro’s shoulder, Sanji panted as he regained himself from his high. The swordsman’s smell wafted under his nose and he couldn’t help the smile that was threatening to split his face apart.

“Hey,” he called to the other man.

“Hm?” Zoro answered as his arms continued to wrap around his hips.

“Bath.”

His husband grinned. “Want me to carry you, princess?”

“Do that bridal thing to me and I’ll kick your teeth in,” Sanji spat out and removed himself from the swordsman, wincing as he felt the man’s length slide out of him.

When his buttocks hit the sand, he felt a dull ache pulsate deep inside his ass and with an annoyed expression, he said, “My butt aches, dumbass. Thanks for that.”

Laughing as he stood up and offering a hand to his husband, Zoro replied, “You’re welcome, Curly.”

Sanji grabbed his hand with a dramatic roll of his eyes as he helped himself to his feet. Dusting off the sand from their skin and gathering their belongings, the two pirates walked side by side on their way to the beach house, bantering and laughing, though maintaining an intimately close distance with each other.

They showered together inside the bathroom, cleaning each other’s bodies and talking about random things. But when their gazes connected, everything just _stopped_ and the next thing that Sanji knew was that he was pressed up against the tiled wall, his left hand clutching tightly around the shower nozzle as Zoro placed his hands on his hips in a bruising grip and continued to thrust his length behind him.

The running water went inside Sanji’s open mouth when he came, releasing a throaty moan of Zoro’s name, and _fuck,_ what did just happen?

With Sanji bitching at the swordsman to dry him up ‘cause “he was too tired to even move a muscle,” Zoro rolled his eye at his lover and went along with his husband’s tirade of insult, drying him up with a clean towel and afterwards wrapping it around his waist.

Sanji looked pleased and his mood lightened up when he saw the enormous bed waiting for him. He lay down with a pleasant sigh, feeling his joints pop in their places as his whole body melt against the comfort of the mattress beneath him.

When he felt the cushion beside him sink under a solid weight, he opened his eyes and found the swordsman positioning himself under the blanket – _naked._

“Oi,” he complained, “put your boxers on, ill-bred Moss Head.”

“Don’t need it,” the man replied as he placed an arm behind his head comfortably.

 Rolling his eyes at how uncouth his husband was, Sanji took the towel off his hips and crawled beside the swordsman. “Fine. I’m sleeping naked too.”

“Whatever you want, Curly,” Zoro replied with a teasing smirk.

“Hands off my butt, ‘ya hear me? I’ll kick your dick up your ass if you try and do something in my sleep, Damn Marimo,” the blond threatened as he positioned himself beside the swordsman, resting his head on the man’s biceps.

Zoro laughed at the cook’s violent and crude words. “Yeah, I get it. You’re sore.” Pulling the other man against him closer, the swordsman pressed his lips against a crown of blond locks and said, “Does it hurt?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” he heard Sanji say.

The swordsman hummed in response and a comfortable silence settled between them. Sanji’s fingers were drawing swirly patterns on Zoro’s chest and as the silence stretched on, the blond found himself opening his mouth and saying, “Zoro?”

“Hm?”

“I have something to say. But promise me you won’t laugh. Yeah?”

His statement caught his husband’s attention and the swordsman’s grey eye stared back at him seriously. “Sure. Spit it out.”

Sanji opened his mouth to speak but the words died in his throat. He didn’t know how to say it without being a bit demanding or inappropriately selfish, but after he inhaled a deep breath to still himself, he was eventually able to let the words out though they barely sounded above a silent whisper. “Can I….?”

“What?” Zoro asked in confusion. “Speak louder, idiot."  
  
Sighing to himself, he repeated, “I said can I use your surname from now on, Stupid Marimo?”

Then there it was – the _surprise._ Zoro was looking at him as if he had grown another head in front of him. With his anxiousness stepping up into a new level, Sanji tried to salvage the situation by saying, “I-It’s just that… I don’t want to be called a ‘Vinsmoke’ anymore. Putting that awful surname on my bounty poster was bad enough, and after all that happened, I don’t… really want to be associated with them anymore. And since now that we’re married, I was wondering if you’d let me use yours. I mean, if only you’ll let me, of course.”

He was stammering, but it was the best that he could do. He couldn’t look up to his husband’s face because he was afraid what he would see there. He was hoping – _wishing_ – for him to agree. To abide to his request. But still, he was nervous. What if Zoro refuse? What would he do?

“Cook.”

He jolted when he heard that low baritone calling him that stupid name. Then after a while, he felt a large hand grip his chin, tilting his face toward the man in question and catching his eyes in a deeply serious gaze.

When the swordsman saw the doubt, hesitation and anxiety in that lovely blue eye, he sighed and leaned his face closer to the blond, “Read my lips.”

Swallowing nervously, Sanji’s eyes went down on Zoro’s mouth, waiting for the words to come out. And then the swordsman spoke, loudly and clearly, “You’re a fucking idiot.”

Sanji’s jaw dropped and he was too shocked to even feel irritated at his husband’s words. And before he could recuperate, he felt Zoro’s fingers intertwining with his left hand. “Your unnecessary anxiety is ticking me off, Shitty Cook,” he said as his thumb stroked the gold ring on Sanji’s finger. “If you want to use my surname, then, hell, I don’t care. Use it all you want. We’re married, so you don’t have to be so doubtful that I’d refuse that kind of request.”

Locking his gaze at the blond, Zoro added, “If I don’t hear you saying ‘Roronoa’ on your name in the next ten seconds, then I’ll definitely gonna shave your stupid eyebrows, ‘ya hear that, Idiot-Cook?”

Sanji’s throat constricted and he didn’t know if he would be able to utter a single word because of that. All he knew was that his chest was feeling so light; his heart was thundering with a newfound vigor and his lips were pulling at the corners to form a grateful smile.

“Roronoa,” he spoke softly, “ _‘Roronoa Sanji.’_ ”

And when the swordsman’s mouth curved into a fond, approving smile, the blond chuckled. “Sounds nice.”

“Sounds perfect,” the swordsman corrected him before his husband pulled him closer to press a gentle kiss on his forehead.

-TBC

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OF COURSE THERE SHOULD BE A HONEYMOON SCENE. GAAHHH.
> 
> Just to clarify things, the gender of the baby is still not known because Sanji's still roughly in his first month of pregnancy. So the pronoun "he" that was used in the chapter was just used to denote the unborn child inside his womb and not to imply its gender. That's all. Hope you liked the chapter and the art!


	4. Intertwined Fingers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to **[Zauberkohle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zauberkohle/pseuds/Zauberkohle)** for making this wonderful [mini-manga](https://ladyelocin.tumblr.com/post/174876514076/of-blond-hair-and-blue-eyes-mini-manga)! And also to **[Henny8hell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Henny8hell/pseuds/Henny8hell)** for always making me laugh with her reviews. Hope you're doing well!
> 
> This chapter is unbeta'd. Sorry for any errors.

**Chapter 3: Intertwined Fingers**

 

Putting the den den mushi down with a sigh, Nami closed her eyes to regain her composure. It had only been a short call, roughly about three minutes, but the stress and anxiousness was already there. She turned around and willed her feet to go out of the galley, allowing them to take her to the only person who had a say to this entire matter.

She saw him lying down on the lion’s head, snoring as if he had no care to the world. “Oi, Luffy,” she called out as she nudged her captain’s shoulder with her sandal. The rubber captain groaned and wrapped his arms around her ankle while muttering shitty things like “meat” and “I’m hungry.”

Shaking her head as she crouched beside him, the navigator pointed in front of her and with wide eyes, she said in a shocked voice, “Eh? What’s that meat island doing there?!”

Her captain’s eyes snapped open and she almost tumbled down the lion’s head when he jumped in the air and searched the vast ocean eagerly. “Meat Island? Meat Island? Where?!”

Dusting off her shorts, Nami stood up and smacked the back of her captain’s head. “There’s no Meat Island, idiot. That’s the only way to wake you up. I wonder how that works everytime.”

Rubbing the sore spot behind his head where Nami’s fist connected, Luffy pouted and uttered, “Boo. You’re no fun, Nami.”

“Bartolomeo called,” Nami said, entirely changing the topic, “said that Kaido’s third fleet commander attacked our western fleet. We can’t stay here any longer, Luffy. We’ve lost enough time already.”

Luffy tilted his head and picked his nose. “Eh? Tell him to kick their asses then.”

Nami felt a vein pop out and spinning around, she aimed a hard kick toward her captain’s stomach. Thanking his flexibility for being able to dodge the strike, Luffy said in relief, "Phew. That was close."

“I’m not joking, you dumbass captain!” Nami shouted. “It’s an important emergency!”

“I know. I know,” Luffy replied with a sigh, rubbing a hand on his neck. It was a pain in the ass to lead an entire grand fleet. If he were to be asked, he would let Nami decide things for him. He trusted her anyway. But that wasn’t the case. A lot of lives were currently resting on his shoulders and he couldn’t fail them. Not after they’d made it this far.

Thus, holding his straw hat and pushing it on his head, Luffy replied, “We’re lifting anchor once Zoro and Sanji get back.”

To this, the navigator nodded.

* * *

 

 Sanji’s eyes fluttered open, blinking the bleariness away and gradually letting the rays of the morning sun illuminate his vision. His skin felt the firm and solid figure of his husband closely pressed beside him, feeling the weight of the man’s right arm that was thrown over him.

Breathing softly against Zoro’s neck and running his fingertips gently on his collarbone, Sanji whispered, “Oi. Marimo.” When the swordsman didn’t move, he pressed his lips on his husband’s throat and hit his chest lightly with his palm. “Wake up, you big moss.”

Zoro groaned and wrinkled his eyebrows, making Sanji chuckle. “We have to get going.”

“Hn…” The swordsman lifted his arm off the blond and rubbed a hand on his eye, waking himself up.

Snatching this opportunity to sit down, Sanji threw his legs at the edge of the bed and settled his feet on the wooden floor. It might have been the exhaustion, but when Sanji tried to push himself up, he felt a wave of nausea hit him like a tidal wave and his rear fell back on the mattress as his hand flew over his mouth.

The swordsman cracked his eye open when he felt the sudden weight on the mattress. His eyebrows knotted in confusion when he saw the hunched form of his husband sitting on the other side of the bed. “Cook?” he called out groggily.

The blond wasted no time in hauling himself up and sprinting toward the bathroom, banging the door open against the wall and leaving the swordsman staring at his back agape in surprise. There was the sound of the faucet turning on, of water running, and Zoro’s gut twisted a little when he heard a few painful retches echoing inside the bathroom.

Immediately pushing himself on his feet and following the blond, Zoro stood on the doorway and watched worriedly as Sanji spewed all of the contents of his stomach out down the sink. His husband was hunched over and his hands were tightly holding the edge of the counter, gripping for strength as his insides betrayed him.

“Cook?” the swordsman called out, failing miserably to hide the worry in his voice.

Breathing heavily, Sanji looked up in the mirror to find his husband staring at him seriously, his eyebrows undoubtedly knotted in concern, and if it weren’t for the nausea that was threatening to choke him to death, then he would probably be teasing the other man right now.

So instead, Sanji gargled his mouth with water to erase the vile taste on his tongue. “I’m fine,” he assured him afterwards, “just morning sickness. I’ve always hated this part. Feels like a bitch.”

He remembered going through the same thing when he was pregnant with Kaitarou. The nausea had always been pretty bad and he still couldn’t sit quite right with the idea of having to throw up food. But what choice did he have? Shit.

“You sure?” the swordsman assessed him.

“Yeah.” Sanji threw him a teasing smirk. “Worried?”

Catching the sneer behind that word, Zoro rolled his eye and walked toward the blond, slithering an arm around his waist and pressing a kiss between his curly eyebrows. “Just making sure Sprout’s holding on tight.”

Sanji’s heart skipped a beat inside his chest and his cheeks flushed because of that. What a way to start his day. Ugh.

Disguising his bashfulness by pushing his lover’s face away from him, he argued, “This one’s your kid. He’ll be stubborn as hell so just be a good boy and brush your teeth. Your breath stinks, Shitty Marimo.”

The swordsman nudged his leg lightly with his foot, frowning as he said, “That one’s your kid, too. Won’t be surprised if he comes out bitching already.”

The banter continued as they brushed their teeth. There wasn’t a need to pack things up because, well, they really didn’t have the time to unpack things last night. Not when they both dived into the business straight away and got things going.

Just replaying last night’s scenes inside Sanji’s head made his chest all fluttery and warm. His lower back was still aching a bit, but it was something that made him feel peculiarly pleasant.

After dressing himself with a white long sleeved shirt and black pants, Sanji gathered his and Zoro’s dirty clothes and stuffed them inside the duffel bag, tossing it toward the swordsman afterwards. With his eyes scanning the man’s clothes up and down, Sanji inquired, “Do you have anything to wear aside from your black coat?”

“I’ve two for extras.”

Sanji stared at him blankly. “Yeah. But those are exactly like the one you’re wearing right now, dumbass. Don’t you want to shop for something new? Different?”

Shrugging, the swordsman answered, “Can’t see the need to.” The man didn’t wait for Sanji to say something in return before he turned his back on him and opened the door. _Of_ _course, that brute wouldn’t have any sense of fashion,_ the blond thought. Why did he even bother asking?

After returning the keys to the old man, Yasu – who was annoyingly flashing knowing smiles at them – both pirates went to the town center to shop for some food and spices. Because of his and Zoro’s wedding, their stock had gone a bit lower than what Sanji was comfortable with and his chef instincts told him to refill their stocks if he wanted to avoid the worst.

So even though Zoro complained to him for making him his pack mule, Sanji just argued with him until his husband sighed and stopped his protest – though Sanji knew that the man was doing it for the sake of annoying him. That bastard.

They both knew that Zoro wouldn’t win against him when it came to matters regarding food, and they were also both aware that starving in the midst of the ocean was _not_ in the least an option for the whole crew.

After going around several meat shops and fruit stands, Sanji’s footsteps halted when he heard a low growl coming from Zoro’s stomach. He looked at him with a raised eyebrow and the blond wanted nothing but to laugh at the embarrassed flush on his husband’s cheeks. “Think we should stop by a restaurant?”

“Nah,” Zoro refused, “I’ll eat in the Sunny.”

“Don’t be an ass. You’re clearly hungry.” Roaming his eyes around the area, Sanji spotted a food stand selling grilled seafood and lemonade. “Wait here.”

The blond jogged toward the stand before Zoro could protest. Sighing and waiting for him to come back, Zoro put the paper bags down on the sand and leaned against a palm tree. He watched his surroundings for signs of danger, probably for stray marines or other pirates who held a grudge toward his crew.

“Stop glaring at every living thing, Marimo. You look constipated.”

Sanji offered him a grilled squid on a stick and a cup filled with fresh cold lemonade. “It’s not much, but it’ll make do at the moment. I’ll cook something when we get back to the Sunny.”

Humming in reply and taking the food and drink from the cook’s hands, Zoro wordlessly chomped on the thing which earned him a grimace from the man beside him. “Really?” he heard him say. “Not even admiring the beauty of food. You should learn how to be thankful once in a while, idiot.”

Zoro grumbled. “Just shut up and eat your damn food, Curlybrow. It’s getting cold.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Whatever,” Sanji said dismissively and took a bite on his grilled fish. But after only five seconds of chewing, the blond hurled over the sand, spitting out the contents of his mouth and watching in dismay as the food lay wasted between his feet.

“What the hell?” Zoro uttered in shock as he put a hand on the blond’s back. “Oi, Cook. What the fuck happened?”

Sanji shut his eyes tightly for a few seconds, willing for the sudden wave of nausea to ebb away. Drinking his lemonade to wash the repulsive taste off his mouth, Sanji shifted his gaze toward the man beside him. “Am fine,” he said, panting a little, “just… uh, some of the fish’s scales are burnt and…”

Sanji couldn’t stop the defeated sigh that came out of his mouth. Rubbing a hand over the throbbing spot above his left eyebrow, he continued, “It’s… a pregnancy thing. Sometimes, I feel the urge to hurl at certain odors or tastes. It’ll get worse soon, probably at the middle of the second month. I’m not sure, but, fuck, it sucks.”

Staring at the stick of grilled fish in his hand, Sanji gave out a heavy breath. He wouldn’t be able to eat this now. Ugh, shit. Call him whiny but he’d always hated this phase. Not being able to eat what he wanted and tiptoeing his way around food just hurt his chef pride. How could he properly prepare meals for his nakama if he was hurling because of certain smells?

Zoro took the stick from Sanji’s hand and replaced it with the squid one. “Eat that. Doesn’t look like it’s burnt.”

The blond’s mouth hung open a little, a bit surprised at the swordsman’s show of concern toward him and patently touched because of his sweet gesture. The corners of Sanji’s mouth twitched up with a smile and he said, “Thanks. I guess.”

The blond took a bite on the squid and fortunately, his tongue and stomach seemed to agree with him after that shit earlier. His eyes darted on the man beside him who was eating his food with a barely suppressed grin on his face. With one eyebrow raised, Sanji inquired, “What are you smiling about, Moss Head?”

Zoro’s grin broke out into a low chuckle, adding more to Sanji’s confusion. “Nothing.”

“Just spit it out already,” Sanji said impatiently.

Shaking his head with that grin still plastered on his face, Zoro flicked his gaze toward the annoyed blond beside him and said, “Just that seeing you being weird like this really makes things so genuine.”

“What’re you talking about?”

Zoro ran his tongue on his lower lip briefly and reached for his husband’s face, wiping a bit of grease off the side of his mouth as he spoke, “With all these weird things happening to you, it really makes me think that you _are_ indeed pregnant, Cook. Call me sick but it’s making me fucking happy.”

Sanji’s throat constricted. It wasn’t fair. Hearing those words coming out from the swordsman’s mouth was making his head so light, like he was the fucking happiest person in the whole world right now. Zoro was never this outspoken the first time they met, not until shit got in their way and they both realized their feelings for each other.

He’d never thought of the swordsman to be so gentle, to be this caring towards him and to be capable of showing affection towards any human being. Maybe, love changed him, or something along that thought. _Shit_ , Sanji thought. He was really a hopeless romantic moron.

“Idiot,” Sanji uttered and continued to eat his food, trying not to mind the smile that was currently displayed on his husband’s handsome face beside him.

* * *

 

Zoro waited for the cook outside an old book shop. It had already been fifteen minutes since the blond went in and the swordsman was already getting quite impatient. He’d never been so good with waiting – always wandering around wherever his feet took him. He was just not the type to be stagnant or to stay in one place…

Until he loved Sanji.

He waited for the cook for four years, willed to settle down with him wherever the blond wanted. He would follow the man forever and fuck himself for being this powerless against him. He’d never imagined himself to be tied with someone, let alone a man, but it seemed that the world was indeed filled with weird and unexpected things.

“Oi, Marimo. Let’s move.”

The swordsman’s eye landed on the paper bag that his husband was holding and curiously, he asked, “What have you got there?”

“Oh.” Sanji opened the paper bag for the other man to see. “Just some books. For Kaitarou’s birthday. Thought I would give him something different since the crew had already given him the largest teddy bear collection in the entire Grand Line.”

Zoro’s jaw _dropped._

“Fuck,” he uttered under his breath as realization struck him. What the _hell_ was he doing all this time? It was his son’s birthday on July 7th, just a week ahead, and he had _nothing_ to give him. Just great. Shit.

“I… don’t have anything for him.”

“It’s fine. Kaitarou won’t mind. Or I can just tell that these books are from us. Won’t make a difference anyway,” Sanji consoled him.

“No.” Zoro shook his head. “No. Shit. Wait here.”

“Huh? But–oi!” The swordsman took off before Sanji could continue, sprinting away and heading to god-knows-where. Sighing at his husband’s retreating figure, the blond scratched the back of his neck and prayed to whatever entity out there for his husband’s ass to not get stupidly lost.

* * *

 

The sun was already setting low when Usopp heard voices coming from the shore they were docked at. Craning his neck outside Sunny’s railings, the sharpshooter spotted two familiar figures approaching the ship.

“Then you should’ve gone back to the ship!”

“How could I? Just admit that you got fucking lost on your way back, you damn Moss Head!”

“I _didn’t_ get lost! The island was goddamn confusing!”

 _Oh, it’s them alright_ , Usopp thought.

“Oi, Nami!” he called.

“What?”

“Sanji and Zoro are here!”

“Ugh! Finally!” the navigator exclaimed exasperatedly and stomped her way toward the railings. “Hey, you two idiots!” The two pirates stopped with their banter and turned their heads toward the ship. “Get your asses here right now or we’re gonna fucking leave you behind!”

“Right away, Nami-swan!” Sanji obliged in a foolishly enthusiastic voice that had Zoro rolling his eye at him.

When the two Straw Hats were already boarded, Nami lashed out and started her tirade of complaints towards the two, saying that they took their sweet time and that the crew waited for them for hours and so on and so forth.

“Come on, Nami, don’t blame them,” Jinbei said with a smile, “it was their honeymoon after all.”

The navigator sighed. “Yeah, whatever. Let’s just get going.”

Usopp stared as she walked away with Jinbei toward the helm to navigate their way out of the island. Shaking his head, his gaze shifted toward his two nakama beside him. “Nami’s a bit grumpy today. Can’t blame her. Bartolomeo called this morning and said that Kaido’s already taking action.”

Zoro’s expression darkened. “What happened?”

“One of his commanders fought with our western fleet. A tough battle, and Cavendish was able to lend his support. But from what I’ve heard, there were still heavy casualties.” Usopp’s hands curled into tight fists. “We have to help them.”

Sanji’s eyes dropped down on his feet in shame. “Sorry.”

Zoro and Usopp’s stares shifted to him. “Why are you saying sorry, Sanji?” the sharpshooter asked.

“It’s my fault,” the blond replied, “if it weren’t for me, if you didn’t come after me, then the crew would’ve still been there and you guys could’ve helped them.”

“Shut up, Cook,” the swordsman said, frowning. “Stop blaming yourself for everything. No one wanted for this to happen, not with them, not with you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Zoro’s right, Sanji,” Usopp agreed and pressed his fist against Sanji’s chest. Smiling, he continued, “We would’ve still come after you even if the whole world crumbles. That’s what nakama is for, right?”

Sanji felt his lips curve up slowly into a small grateful smile. “Thanks.”

“Come on.” The sharpshooter jerked his head toward the Aquarium Bar. “Kaitarou’s inside the Aquarium Bar and it’s probably his favorite place in the ship now.”

Sanji nodded and followed behind him. But after only a few steps, Sanji felt rough, calloused fingers intertwining with his, causing his gaze to flick towards the man beside him. Zoro was staring back at him seriously, measuring and assessing his emotions.

He was still feeling guilty about everything – about Vallo’s death, about the lives which could’ve been spared if it weren’t for his mess.

And even though he expressed his gratefulness to his nakama earlier, the swordsman managed to see right through him, to sense his true feelings from deep inside him.

The swordsman didn’t say anything on their way towards the Aquarium Bar, but the gesture alone was enough to ease the heavy load inside Sanji’s chest. He felt the coldness of Zoro’s golden ring against his skin, proving to him that he wouldn’t be alone with all his battles anymore from now on, that someone would be there by his side, willing to take his hand and fight alongside with him.

A gentle smile tugged the corners of Sanji’s lips and he squeezed Zoro’s hand for a silent thank you. A few more seconds passed by before the swordsman squeezed back, never once letting his hold on Sanji’s hand loosen until they arrived to their destination.

 

 -TBC

* * *

 

_Our little baby moss in his fathers' wedding day. :)_

_ZoSan rings._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Zoro's first time to see Sanji in his gestation period, so we can't blame him for being a bit giddy. *giggles* And oh, yeah, since we still don't know the gender of the baby, we'll just call it "Sprout" for now. (Thank Zoro for that)
> 
> I'll be doing artworks for Kaitarou's birthday which will be posted on the day itself, July 7th. You can check them out on my [Tumblr.](http://ladyelocin.tumblr.com)
> 
> This second book will be about Sanji's pregnancy (how he and Zoro will cope with it), about their marriage, Kaitarou as a character, and about that thing that happened in the prologue. This will be a tough ride for me, 'cause it'll go independently from the canon story even though it's in the OP verse. I'm going to try and fit the elements together so I don't stray that far from the original story, but, yes, you can imagine this as a One Piece movie - new plot and new characters.
> 
> There'll be drama and action ('cause I love these two genres), but we'll take things slowly. Hope you don't mind. :)
> 
> Lastly, I would just like to clear out that Sanji is _no way_ near feminine for me. The whole pregnancy thing might have suggested otherwise, but I'm trying to be careful about it. Though an mpreg story, OBHABE doesn't intend to disfigure Sanji's character in any manner at all. He's a badass and it stays that way for me. And for those who are wondering if I'm going to write a SanZo scene, worry not because I'm considering the possibility (and it's kinda huge). That's all. Thank you!


	5. Swear Word

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank [**hagane001**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hagane001/pseuds/hagane001) for translating my ZoSan one-shot fic [**"Winter's Wish"**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13189011) to Chinese! You can access the translated version [**HERE.**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14684811)
> 
> Also, cheers to Zoro's comeback in the manga! *chugs down a mug of beer*

**Warning: For language.**

* * *

 

**Chapter 4: Swear Word**

 

“Papa, that fish looks weird!” Kaitarou was pointing at a considerably large catfish swimming inside the tank. The fish’s whiskers were – surprisingly enough – braided so well that it actually looked stupid.

“Yeah,” Sanji agreed as he laughed at his son’s amusement. He was seated on the long quaint red sofa, his left leg rested and bent on the cushion as the other dangled outside the furniture with his foot lying comfortably on the floor.

His left arm was propped against the backrest as his right hand was pressed against Kaitarou’s back who – being the little kid that he was – was jumping all excited with the new discovery.

“That fish looks like your Grandpa Zeff, huh?” Sanji said with a smirk tugging the corners of his lips.

A few days after Sanji got that letter from Zeff, he talked to his son and showed him a picture of his foster father. He spoke about him. How he raised him when he was still a kid; how good a chef the old man was; how strict and annoying he was, but undoubtedly the best father that he could ever wish for.

The kid listened to him, with that familiar questioning and curious stare that had always been in his blue eyes whenever he learned about something. That was the good thing about his son, Sanji thought. He was good at listening, probably picking the trait up from Sora and Vallo because as foolish as it was, Sanji had never been a good listener, maybe a little, but definitely not like those two.

Of course, Kaitarou asked about his grandfather. Where he was? What was he doing right now? When could he see him? Those types of questions were always the ones which made Sanji think that he shouldn’t have probably walked the life of a pirate, so that his son could have a normal life like other kids.

But everytime he thought about that, he was always contradicted by the wonderful reality of having his nakama with him, of travelling around the world to meet his dream... and also by the fact of having someone as incredible as Zoro by his side. Because if he didn’t choose to be a pirate, then he wouldn’t be able to hold the other man closely like this.

“It does!” Kaitarou concurred. “Grandpa’s moustache looks weird, too!”

Sanji laughed at that. “Yeah. Make sure you tell that to him when you see each other, yeah?”

Nodding, the little kid smiled and pointed eagerly at some of the weirder creatures swimming across the tank, having Sanji to explain what they were and sometimes asking sensible questions like ‘how do fishes breathe under water?’ or ‘why do sharks have sharp teeth?’

These were the reasons why sometimes Sanji forgot that his son was only just barely four years old.

“Hey, son. You like fishes?”

Sanji’s gaze shifted towards the swordsman who was standing in front of him, his beefy arms comfortably folded against his chest as his tall stature practically screamed ‘I’m confidently sexy, bastard.’

He shook that unwanted thought out of his head because Sanji wasn’t about to go _there_ with their son standing merely a foot away from him – and not that Zoro ever thought or declared how sexy he was unless Sanji reminded him of it.

“Yes,” Kaitarou agreed. “I like sea creatures. They’re weird, but amazing.”

That response made Zoro’s lips curl. “Heh,” he said thoughtfully before plopping himself down on the sofa beside Sanji and his son. “So you like shitty creatures like your Papa?”

“Oi.” Sanji nudged his foot against Zoro’s side in protest. “They aren’t shitty.”

Zoro snorted and Sanji was tempted to kick the bastard’s ass out of the goddamn ship.

“Daddy! Daddy! Look!” Kaitarou fervently pointed at one weird-ass looking fish which either Usopp or Luffy caught when they were fishing a few days ago. The fish had a long snout, five pairs of pectoral fins arranged in layers and three fucking _antennae_ attached to its forehead.

Zoro glanced behind him, resting an elbow against the backrest and grimacing when he saw the ugly fish swimming in front of them. “This one’s Luffy,” he mumbled to himself and yes, Sanji couldn’t agree more. The only one in the goddamn ship who would catch a freaky fish like this would be their idiotic captain. Well, at least, based on how fat the fish was, maybe Sanji could do a little trick and whip up some tasty Snapper Fra Diavolo out of it.

Kaitarou put his hands against his nose as if mimicking the fish’s long snout and made a weird noise which was hilariously between a dying lion and a crying humpback whale. Nonetheless, the action made Zoro laugh, the bridge of his nose and the corners of his eyes wrinkling as he guffawed at his son.

Zoro laid his hand on top of Kaitarou’s head and messed his green hair up, with Kaitarou complaining and stopping his father’s hand in the process. The little kid retaliated by pinching Zoro’s cheeks hard in which the swordsman found it rather amusing than annoying.

“Ow! The pirate’s attacking me! Help!” Zoro said like a silly victim while his mouth was still being stretched widely by his son.

“Arrr! Take that, you sea king!” Kaitarou declared like he was a freaking pirate out of goddamn plays.

“No!” Zoro wrapped his arms around his son and wrestled him down against his lap. “I won’t let you kill this great sea king!” Zoro buried his face against his son’s stomach as if trying to eat him with his invisible fangs.

“Stop!” Kaitarou laughed as his father’s nose and mouth tickled him, struggling against the swordsman’s hold like a fish caught in a net.

Sanji couldn’t help but chuckle and feel so _full_ at the sight. His two mossheads bonding like this made his head feel so light and his chest to feel so goddamn warm. If only Sanji knew that Zoro was this much of a _sucker_ with a son, then Sanji would’ve probably teased him to no end for it before.

When the silly ‘wrestling match’ stopped, Zoro helped Kaitarou back on his feet again between him and Sanji, watching as the kid’s eyes followed one particularly peculiar fish with two dorsal fins. “Papa?”

“Hm?” Sanji hummed.

“Is Uncle Jinbei a fish?”

At first, Sanji was surprised of the question. But after a while of collecting his thoughts, he answered, “Yeah, he’s half-fish, half-man. But don’t call him that, okay? He’s a merman, but it doesn’t mean that he’s any less than us humans.”

The kid nodded thoughtfully as if fully understanding the delicate topic at hand with his youthful mind. Then he asked, “Do mermen need water to breathe? Or air?”

“I... think they can do both.”

“That’s cool!” Kaitarou enthused with a smile. “So Uncle Jinbei’s room is this tank?”

Sanji heard Zoro snort and the fucking bastard had a hand covering that stupid smile on his mouth. He couldn’t object though, that one was hilarious but the innocence hiding behind that funny question was so thick he couldn’t humor himself.

Thus, he smiled to his son instead, “Nah. Your Uncle Jinbei was once a pirate captain. He had a ship so perhaps he had a normal room like us.”

Kaitarou hummed thoughtfully and continued to watch the marine life inside the tank. Something had been bothering Sanji ever since that Whole Cake Island conflict. After staring at his son with a pensive expression on his face for a painful couple of minutes, Sanji finally spoke, “Sweetie?”

When Kaitarou turned his gaze to him, he continued, “Do you like swords?”

The question caught Zoro’s attention, who was supposedly quietly taking his nap beside them. Kaitarou chewed on his lower lip for a moment as if mulling over a response. “Yeah. The one that Uncle Usopp made for me was great.”

Sanji nodded at this. “And... how about kicking stuff?”

“Oi, Cook.”

The blond met Zoro’s eye and he saw a careful and inquisitive look in that ashen orb.  But Sanji just nodded his head once as if telling his husband ‘yeah, I got this.’ Zoro still looked a bit worried though – not that he’d admit it out loud – but judging the way how his eyebrows were knotted and how his lips were set into a thin line, the reaction was already a giveaway.

“It’s cool,” the kid replied and grinned, “Papa’s kicks are great! I want to do that, too.”

Sanji found himself smiling because, fuck, his son just looked up to him and it just felt so freaking good. However, that didn’t resolve anything. His son was fine with either, but that just... wouldn’t work out. Probably.

“Do you like cooking?” It was Zoro’s turn to ask, which, in a sense, kinda surprised Sanji.

“Yeah. I want to cook like Papa.”

Nodding, the swordsman said, “Then let your Papa teach you how to kick some ass.”

“Oi,” Sanji interrupted, “the conversation’s not over.”

“It is.” Zoro jerked his head to Kaitarou. “Our son wants to be a cook like you. So no swords.”

“Chef,” Sanji corrected. “But, ugh, that’s... that’s not it.” The blond scratched his head helplessly, as if racking his brain for some ideas or thoughts that could be favourable for him and Zoro. “How about training him on both ends?”

Zoro pulled a grumpy displeased face at that. “That won’t work.”

“Well, maybe, it _can._ If only you stop being so negative about it,” Sanji argued and Zoro’s face just twisted more because of that.

Shit. He didn’t want to have a fight in front of their son. He should’ve just saved it for later when he and Zoro were alone.

“He can’t damage his hands if he wants to be a chef. _You_ of all people know that,” Zoro reasoned out, “and if he wants to become a swordsman, then he should devote himself to training and making himself strong. Just like what I’m doing right now.”

Sanji hated it. Because for one, Zoro had a goddamn _point._ It was so straight to the point that it irritated Sanji ‘cause the man was fucking _right_.

Thus, sighing heavily, Sanji asked his son, “What’s your dream, sweetie?”

The kid just stared back at him and Sanji saw something which was a bit unusual coming from those crystal blue eyes: _uncertainty._

“I don’t know,” Kaitarou replied as he lowered his gaze to his feet.

Sanji and Zoro were quiet, both men not knowing how to address this issue the best way possible. Their son was still a kid, barely four years old, so Sanji thought that it was only expected for him to be unsure at this point. His son was yet to see the bigger version of the world waiting ahead of him. And Sanji knew, for sure, that along the way, Kaitarou would be able to find what he was looking for.

“I want to handle swords.” Both Sanji and Zoro’s heads turned to their son. And after a moment, the kid said further with a smile, “But I also want to ‘kick some ass.’”

Sanji didn’t know what to think, but he just found himself and Zoro grinning widely because of that. And when the two pirates’ eyes met, without any further ado, they both knew what the hell would happen from there.

“It’ll be fucking weird,” Sanji said in a breathy laugh.

The swordsman smirked. “Hell yeah.”

To their surprise, the door to the Aquarium Bar banged open, revealing a very mad Nami stomping toward them with a very much _fearful_ Usopp trying to tug her arm and stop her from whatever business she had at the moment. Robin followed them as well and Zoro couldn’t miss the amused glint in her dark eyes. Fuck, that couldn’t mean well.

“Nami! Come on, Kaitarou’s here–” Usopp tried to tell her but she was cut off when Nami pointed a dangerously close accusing finger at Zoro’s face.

“You stupid, algae-brained swordsman!” she began and Usopp put his hands on his head in frustration as if trying to convince himself that this was _not_ fucking happening.

“The hell’s wrong with you, witch?” he said with a frown and that remark just earned him a bit of a painful kick from Sanji to his side.

Nami shoved a bottle against Zoro’s face, who caught it with one hand. “You know what that is? That’s a special oil I bought for you and Sanji-kun for five hundred beli out of my own good will.”

“Uh, actually, it was Chopper’s money–” Usopp tried to say but Nami cut her off.

“Everyone’s money is _my_ money,” the navigator declared even though that sounded wrong in so many levels. However, everyone knew better than to contradict her with that matter. Otherwise, they’d have to kiss their allowances good bye.

“It’s Chopper’s _idea_ to buy that oil for you because he’s our ship’s doctor and he knows exactly what’s good for Sanji-kun. Or for both of you. Whatever the hell's your preference.”

“Uh, pardon me, Nami-san,” Sanji said apologetically, “but can I ask what the problem is?”

Huffing in irritation, Nami put a hand on her hip and said, “That oil’s a _lubricant_ and I put that inside your luggage. And the problem is that it’s still fucking _sealed._ ”

Sanji’s jaw dropped as Zoro’s eye widened a fraction.

Oh, fuck no. Sanji wasn’t about to talk about his sex life in front of his son!

“A-Ah, Nami-san,” Sanji said with a nervous laugh as he tried to salvage the situation, “you see–”

“Pregnant or not, you have to be mindful about Sanji-kun’s body, Zoro!” Nami lectured the swordsman who was kind of shocked about this whole thing happening in front of him.

“Guys, come on–” Usopp tried to calm his nakama down.

“What, you just dived into it like a sexually frustrated brute?” Nami inquired with an overdramatic wave of her hand.

“I DID NOT!” Zoro shouted back at her as his tan cheeks burnt with a deep red color.

“So what did you use, huh?” Nami challenged him and Zoro’s eyebrow twitched.

 _Oh, fuck,_ Sanji thought and he opened his mouth to say something because he was one hundred percent sure that Zoro would rise up to the bait. However, he was too late...

Zoro rose up from his seat like a mad bull and yelled, “I USED MY FUCKING _CUM._ THERE, ARE YOU HAPPY?!”

There was a moment of silence, with shocked stares and agape mouths. With just Zoro’s voice echoing inside the Aquarium Bar... and then...

“Oh god.” Usopp crouched down on the floor and covered his ears as if what he just heard had hurt his being as a _whole._

Sanji was still staring wide-eyed at his husband, his mind short-circuiting because of that _embarrassing_ confession and probably occupied with thoughts like ‘how to kill Zoro without everyone knowing’ or ‘how to kill Zoro and still coming clean.’”

When Zoro’s anger dissipated and when he finally absorbed – to his dismay – his nakama’s shocked expression in front of him, that was the time when he finally realized what he had just fucking _said._ With his remaining good eye bulging out of its socket and his jaw popping out of its joints, Zoro cussed rather loudly, “Fuck _._ ”

“Fuck,” Nami said just a second after Zoro said it himself.

“Fuck.” And then it was Sanji’s turn. But what they didn’t expect was...

_“Fuck!”_

All of their heads turned to the source of that high-pitched voice. Kaitarou’s hands were hoisted up in the air like he had some goddamn superpowers, his mouth stretched into a wide grin like the one Luffy always wore, and his eyes were shut and curved into a happy look.

Yes. Just... _fuck._

“Oh dear,” Robin muttered with a chuckle behind her hand.

Sanji couldn’t talk for a good couple of seconds. But when he regained himself from that nightmare, he asked, “What did you just say, sweetie?”

Kaitarou looked at him, still with that broad grin on his face, and said with enthusiasm, “Fuck!”

“Oh hell no.” Usopp ran a hand down his face in defeat. “Um, Kaitarou? Do you wanna play outside?”

The kid’s eyes lightened up with excitement and he jumped down the sofa, his feet landing with a _thump_ against the wooden floor beneath him. Kaitarou grabbed Usopp’s hand and led him out of the door, all the while saying ‘fuck’ in a happy tone that was alarming and adorable at the same time.

Sanji could hear Usopp lecturing his son subtly as they walked out of the bar, and when the two was finally out of earshot, Sanji flicked a deathly glare toward his husband. “That’s your goddamn fault!”

“Oi! Shut it, shitty cook. I didn’t want that to happen,” Zoro said in defense.

The blond hauled himself up to his feet and banged his forehead against the swordsman, who didn’t even move an inch as he fought for dominance against Sanji’s assault. “If you didn’t say ‘fuck’ in the first place, then Kaitarou wouldn’t have picked that cuss word up!”

“Stop blaming that to me, Curlybrow. You’re the one who cusses more than anyone around this ship.”

Sanji’s curly eyebrow twitched. He was dreading for a goddamn cigarette. But he couldn’t. Ah, shit.

“I don’t cuss around our son,” Sanji denied the fact but he _knew_ that it wasn’t true. Goddamn.

Zoro pulled his head away to laugh at him sarcastically. “Don’t come clean, Cook.”

With an annoyed groan releasing from his throat, Sanji said, “Fine! But you cuss around him, too!”

“Yeah. But not more than you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Sanji said in a challenging voice as he entered Zoro’s personal space to intimidate him.

“Yeah,” the swordsman answered as he cocked his head in defiance.

“Enough!”

Nami’s hands came between them, pressing against their chests and breaking them apart. “Both of you are idiots,” she said. “You’re both responsible for Kaitarou’s behaviour. If you don’t want your son picking something up, then _do_ something about it.”

“What the hell are we supposed to do?” Zoro asked, scowling.

“I don’t know,” the navigator said with a shrug, “how about not drowning yourself with sake everytime you get your hands on one? Now, that would be a start.”

Nami turned on her heels and flipped her long hair back, smacking Zoro square on the face and making Sanji snicker.

“I’ll leave you two here alone then,” Robin excused herself.

“Good bye, Robin-chwan!” Sanji said in a sweet voice which made Zoro wince. He fucking hated that, and that was why Sanji _did_ it in the first place.

When the two pirates were finally alone, Sanji heard Zoro’s footsteps approaching him from behind and before he could turn his head around, he felt the man’s strong arms wrapping around his middle and his forehead dropping down on his shoulder.

He heard Zoro release a heavy sigh and if Sanji would listen closely enough, he could say that the man was a bit worried and troubled. “What d’we do ‘bout it?” he asked, his voice a bit muffled by Sanji’s clothes.

Sighing, the blond said, “Don’t know. Maybe... tone the cusses down a bit?”

Zoro groaned unpleasantly. “That sucks. We’re pirates. It’s part of our daily routine. He’ll learn to cuss eventually.”

Sanji chuckled a little. “Yeah, well, but your son’s still a kid. Might as well teach him what’s right and wrong while he’s still young. And when he grows up, we’ll let him decide.”

Zoro propped his chin on Sanji’s shoulder and hummed thoughtfully. Sanji didn’t know when being embraced closely by Zoro and sharing a peaceful silence with him became so natural and comfortable. If someone said something to him about this five years ago, then Sanji would probably laugh in disbelief. But now was the _real_ thing. It happened, and Sanji couldn’t be any happier.

“Cook?”

“Hm?” Sanji said as his temple rested against the side of Zoro’s head.

The pads of the swordsman’s fingers rubbed gently and aimlessly against his stomach. Zoro looked lost in thought when he said calmly, “Wanna feel Sprout already.”

Sanji didn’t how to react to that, but he felt heat rising up to his cheeks, the warmth spreading across his chest and ending with an endearing tug of his heart. “That’s... probably around the fifth month. Just wait, Moss Head.”

Letting out a breathy and impatient sigh, the swordsman said, “Just grow up fast in there, Sprout. I wanna see if you’ll have your dad’s stupid eyebrows like your big brother.”

“Oi.” Sanji retaliated with a nudge to the swordsman’s stomach.

Zoro chuckled at this and nuzzled up his nose against Sanji’s neck, his arms tightening a bit around his husband. With his eye closed, Zoro whispered, “Can’t wait to carry Sprout.”

Those words robbed Sanji out of his breath. He felt himself closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, the air inside the Aquarium Bar mixing with Zoro’s scent and making his heart soar in delight. Settling himself fully inside Zoro’s arms, his back pressing against his husband’s body and eliminating the tiniest space that could break them apart, Sanji spoke softly, “Yeah. Me too.”

-TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT. THE BABY MOSS CUSSED. OMG.
> 
> [Johndimplechester](https://archiveofourown.org/users/johndimplechester/pseuds/johndimplechester) said: _Can I just say that daddy!Zoro is the best thing in the world?_
> 
> Me: Can't agree more.
> 
> The next update will probably be on July 7th! (Hopefully)


	6. Needed Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Haha. That didn't take long. (I had free time, so...)

**Chapter 5: Needed Talks**

 

Sanji woke up because of repeated hammering somewhere in the ship. Blinking blearily in the dimly lit men’s bunkroom, Sanji tried to roll on his back, only to find a heavy arm draped over his torso and another one serving as a makeshift pillow underneath his head.

He heard Zoro’s silent snores beside him, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm as heat continued to radiate from his bare torso to Sanji’s skin, seeping through his pores in warm comforting waves which could calm every fiber in his body.

There was a drool streaming from Zoro’s mouth and Sanji tried to suppress a laugh as he found joy in his husband’s stupid sleeping face.

Sanji could remember well how they ended up tangled like this. It was a really embarrassing shit, one that involved a lot of snide remarks and petty insults.

The thing was, when Kaitarou boarded the Sunny, Zoro gave up his bed for him and took residence instead on the sofa across the room. Sanji refused of course, seeing that it would be uncomfortable for him and offering his bed instead. Because somehow, he felt majorly responsible for bringing Kaitarou in the ship. The swordsman threw a fit and they fought over it for about half an hour before Chopper intervened and settled the fight with a toss coin.

And Zoro won. The bastard. It was a selfless act on their part, for the sake of their son, thus even though he hated losing from a fight, Sanji was a bit glad that Zoro was willing to do little sacrifices like that for Kaitarou.

Things got a bit worse when Jinbei joined. Franky was in the middle of making an additional bunk for Kaitarou but after seeing that the size of the merman was a bit, well, extra for the furniture he was making, the cyborg decided to reconstruct it. It was agreed upon that Jinbei would sleep on the sofa for the meantime while Franky was still doing the bunk, which, to Sanji’s mortification, lead to this embarrassing arrangement with Zoro.

Sanji tried to escape from that situation by saying, “I’ll sleep with Kaitarou.”

But Luffy and Usopp argued, saying stupid things like ‘Just bunk with Zoro! You two are couples, right?’ and ‘Couples bunk together! Don’t be shy, Sanji!’

Those idiots, teaming up against him like that. Brook and Franky looked pleased with the idea, too, as Chopper hid his face in his hooves with an adorable blush tainting his cheeks. When he glanced at the swordsman for a bit of help to set their nakama’s brains on the right track, he saw the man yawning and looking very much _uninterested_ with the whole discussion.

“Oi, Marimo!” Sanji complained, “don’t just stand there and ferment. Do you wanna bunk with _me_?” Sanji said it as if bunking with him would be the worst idea that Zoro would ever think of. However, Zoro just stared at him with a blank expression which, to Sanji’s vocabulary, implied ‘Does it look like I give a fuck?’

The swordsman gave a nonchalant shrug and said afterwards, “Whatever. Don’t really care.”

Sighing loudly, the blond argued, “Marimo, it’s _me_ we’re talking about here. You wanna bunk with someone like me?”

They were a couple, yeah, but it didn’t change the fact that they were still _rivals_ , and rivals annoyed the hell out of each other. Sanji wasn’t sure if sharing a bed with Zoro would be a great idea because, one: the space was too cramped for two grown-up men, and second: being so close to Zoro at night – in the freaking _dark_ – would probably test the extent of his self-control and Sanji just wasn’t up for that.

Zoro gazed at him as if he was a chicken prattling in front of him. “Someone like you?” His eyebrows furrowed. “Why?”

“Well,” Sanji began as he rubbed a hand on his neck, “I mean, we’re rivals. So I think you wouldn’t want to bunk with me…”

“Rivals?” Zoro snorted. “Yeah. But we’re more than that now. If there’s any idiot in this room that I’m sharing a bed with, then it’ll be with you, Curlicue.”

Usopp and Luffy gave Sanji a look which meant ‘See? I told you.’ And that shut him up effectively.

Sanji also remembered the first morning they ended up tangled like a pretzel in his bed. His face was buried against Zoro’s neck, his arm draped over his hip as his right leg slipped between the other man’s thighs. Zoro’s right bicep was under his head as the man’s other arm hooked around his neck, locking him in a very much intimate embrace in their sleep.

Sanji woke up because of a bright _camera flash_ which, to his horror, was followed by snickers and toothy grins from his nakama. He sprung out of the swordsman’s hold with a startled yelp, knocking Zoro off the bed and making him hit the wooden floor face-first.

Releasing a soft chuckle in recollection of that memory, Sanji leaned in and pressed his lips against Zoro’s parted ones, faintly tasting the bad taste of morning breath from his husband’s mouth. It was just a brief and shallow kiss, just a mere press of soft pairs of lips, but it was enough to stir the man awake.

It was a wonder to Sanji how Zoro could be a heavy sleeper one moment and be a light one in the next. Zoro once told him that being around with his nakama had always brought him a sense of calm and safety, which was probably the reason why he could sleep like a log anywhere in the ship. On the other hand, his swordsman instinct was perhaps the one responsible for his keen senses, keeping him relaxed and alert at the same time.

Zoro’s good eye fluttered sleepily, finding focus on the blond lying next to him. He heard him say, “Sleep some more, Moss Head. I think it’s still barely five in the morning.”

Zoro was about to comply when he felt Sanji move his arm and sit up, causing him to flash an inquisitive look at him. “Where’re you goin’?” he asked groggily.

“Outside,” the blond answered quietly so as not to disturb his sleeping nakama. “Can’t sleep anymore because of that infernal hammering. Probably Franky. I thought I’d check before preparing breakfast.”

Zoro hummed in approval, watching as Sanji hauled himself to his feet. Shifting on his back and putting an arm behind his head, the swordsman reminded him, “Your coat. It’s cold.”

And it was. Nami said that they were taking a shorter route to cut a few days from their travel time. But that meant passing through icy waters and a long stretch of icebergs, which, to Zoro’s opinion, wasn’t a good idea considering Sanji’s condition. Chopper assured him that it would be fine though, and that was the reason why he let the argument go.

Sanji rolled his eyes at him as he snatched the navy blue winter coat off the hook beside their bed and slithered his arms through the sleeves. “Yeah. Yeah. I get it, _mom_ ,” he replied in a sarcastic tone. Zoro grumbled something in annoyance before closing his eye and drifting himself to sleep again.

As Sanji was buttoning his coat, his eyebrows raised when he noticed that the third button on top of his stomach was getting a bit hard to fasten now. Not only this coat, but also some of his tighter clothes were now beginning to hate him.

Sanji sighed at how familiar this scenario was. He was at the start of his second month now, and by experience, Sanji expected for his ‘barely visible’ bump to be a ‘fairly visible’ one in the weeks to come. And by then, his suit would probably start to throw him up. This was one thing he hated about being pregnant – not being able to wear fashionable clothes for a while.

Pushing that dreadful thought behind his mind, Sanji made his way to the door and walked outside towards the lawn. The faintest rays of sunlight could be seen from the horizon, creating a congruent mixture of orange, black and blue.

His attention was caught by the continuous whacking of a hammer on top of the galley. Sliding his hands inside his pockets, Sanji walked towards the busy figure of his nakama, Franky, who was so absorbed with whatever handiwork he was currently doing.

Glancing up, he said, “Oi, Franky! What are you up to so early in the morning?”

The cyborg peeked below and gave Sanji a salute. “Ow! Good morning, Cook-bro. I’m setting up a suuuuper room right now. It’s a bit of a work but I’ll finish it in no time!”

“Yeah?” Sanji shifted his weight to his right foot. “Room for what?”

“For you and Zoro-bro, of course!”

If Sanji had a cigarette, then he was sure as hell that he’d be choking to death right now. “What?!” he asked in shock. “Why? What for?”

“Can’t have a married couple sleeping in the men’s bunk, yeah? You guys need some private time alone,” Franky replied with a _wink_. And Sanji wanted to throw himself into the fucking ocean.

With heat rising up to his cheeks, Sanji argued, “You don’t have to do it, Franky. Don’t waste the Adam Wood for it.”

“It’s fine, Cook-bro!” the cyborg assured him, “I have lots in the storage room. This is the couple room I promised you before, and I’ve already talked about it with the others. They seemed to like the idea so they gave me their approval.”

Sanji wanted to facepalm. He remembered Franky telling him about building a couple room for them before, but he hadn’t realized that it would be materialized so soon. Just what were his nakama up to? They’d been so excited about him and Zoro being an official couple – bounded by matrimony at that – and, really, they didn’t have to do these things for them.

“Where will Kaitarou sleep?” Sanji asked.

Franky smiled and gave him a thumbs up. “I’ll make a room for him beside yours and Zoro-bro! That’ll be suuuuper!” Raising up his hammer and striking it down on the Adam Wood to drive the nails in, he continued, “Ranport-san will be able to sleep in the bunk room after that. Must be a bit stuffy to sleep in the infirmary, so I’m doing my best to finish this as soon as possible.”

 _Oh yeah_ , Sanji thought. With Ranport and Sora on board as well, Franky would have to consider their comfort too. Right now, Ranport was lodging inside the infirmary while Sora was sleeping with his two lovely ladies in the girl’s room.  

Even though the old man insisted that it was fine and that he was used to sleeping on hospital beds because he was a doctor, Sanji still worried for him. Once he and Zoro moved out of the men’s bunkroom, Ranport could take his bed and Sanji knew for a fact, even if the old man wasn’t saying anything, that it would be a hell of a lot comfortable than the one in the infirmary.

Thus, even though it would be embarrassing to finally – freaking _finally_ – share a room alone with Zoro like a real-life _couple_ , Sanji couldn’t bring himself to protest about Franky’s idea.

“Well, good luck with it then,” Sanji said to the cyborg and the man flashed him a toothy grin which said ‘I’ll be doing my best!’

On his way up the stairs towards the galley, Sanji’s ear caught the light footsteps coming out of the ladies’ room. Turning around and pulling off his most charming expression, the blond said, “Good morning, mademoiselle.”

“Good morning, Cook-san,” Robin greeted with a smile. “Good morning, Franky.”

“Ow! Good morning, Robin!”

It might’ve been creepy, but Sanji developed a sixth sense on his lovely angels. It was funny how he could distinguish them based on their footfalls.

“What can I serve you this morning, Robin-chan?”

“I’m just about to make coffee for Nami. Maybe you can help me with it?”

“Of course, my flower!” Sanji offered with a bright smile. As they walked towards the galley, Sanji asked, “Pardon me for asking, but isn’t a bit unusual for Nami-san to drink coffee? She’s always liked tea or juice instead of coffee beans.”

“Yes, well, she’s been up all night in the Map Room and hasn’t gone back to our room to sleep. So I was thinking that maybe she fell asleep there and perhaps now needs something that can keep her awake.”

“Really?” Sanji said as he set up the coffee machine for brewing. “Why’s she up so late?”

Robin took a seat on the barstool across the counter. “She’s been charting out new maps for the Grand Fleet for a few weeks now. Browsing through the logs which Bartolomeo and the others gave her, putting the pieces together like a puzzle. It must’ve been pretty stressful for her, especially with how things are happening right now.”

Sanji stayed quiet as Robin did her talk, listening carefully as the archeologist opened up to him. “She plays a very important role in this war and she knows that. That’s why she can’t afford to slack with her work even just for a bit. Her maps contribute to majority of the battle strategies that are devised by the captains of each pirate crew. Knowing the terrain of a battleground is very crucial to a war, Cook-san. Every island, passageway, narrow strait and peninsula can decide the future of a hard-won battle.”

The coffee machine made a clicking sound and Sanji proceeded with filling two cups of coffee. As he added the right amount of cream and sugar to the black liquid, Sanji’s mind drifted to what Robin said earlier.

He hadn’t realized that _that_ much burden was laid on Nami’s shoulders. She must’ve felt pressured, but Sanji respected her for maintaining a calm demeanor and being able to come up with a sound judgment during troubled times. Nami was smart, no, _wise_. She was an integral part to this war because Sanji was sure as hell that their ship’s navigator was the best cartographer that he had ever met.

“Somehow,” Sanji started as he placed a cup of coffee in front of the archeologist, “I feel inclined to apologize to her for diverting her attention to our wedding.”

“It’s fine, Cook-san,” the woman said with a smile as she took the cup in her hands, “your wedding’s a great diversion. Nami’s all hyped for it and I believed that it helped ease off her mind about things for a while.”

Sanji still felt guilty for troubling his lovely angel, but he decided to just drop the subject and proceeded to prepare a peanut butter sandwich for Nami, just a light appetizer to go with the coffee which wouldn’t ruin her appetite for breakfast.

“How are things going with you and Swordsman-san?”

“Um,” Sanji hesitated for a moment as a blush crept on his cheeks, “fine. I guess.”

Robin smiled, that kind which went up to her eyes and wrinkling the corners a little bit. “You’re still shy about it?”

Trying to hide his bashfulness by focusing on the bread knife spreading the peanut butter, Sanji replied, “To be honest, yes. I mean, it’s not that I’m _not_ used to being close to him. It’s just still a bit… _awkward_ to act like a husband to him around my nakama.”

“Oh,” Robin mused, “so the problem is us, Cook-san?”

“No! No, of course not, Robin-chan!” Sanji clarified with a shake of his head. “You guys are great. You’ve been really supportive of our relationship. With Kaitarou, too. I’m very grateful to all of you. Honestly.” Putting the sandwich down the plate, he added, “It’s just that everything happened so fast. One day I was in Banaru Island, hiding a kid like a coward, then suddenly Zoro showed up, messed up everything, and then the next day, I was married to him. It only seemed like yesterday when we were just a pair of idiots who saw each other as rivals. And I’m just a bit anxious about what you guys _really_ think about the whole thing, if it’s weird, or awkward. I mean, seeing two of your nakama get together, both _males_ to say the least… your opinions matter deeply to me, Robin-chan.”

Robin stared at him for a moment, that all-knowing gaze which could penetrate even the thickest barrier of a person’s soul, and then after a while, she smiled. “I appreciate that you’re concerned about what we think, Cook-san. But believe me when I say that the crew is in full support to your relationship with Swordsman-san,” she said and sipped on her coffee, “gender is not even an issue here. Maybe, it does to the world, but it means nothing to this crew that’s full of weird creatures.”

The corners of Sanji’s lips curled at that last statement and he heard her say further, “Besides, when it comes to true love, whatever differences or commonalities you both may have, nothing can still set you apart, right?”

Sanji had never thought that he’d be getting a love advice from one of his lovely angels. Thus hearing one actually on the spot both pleased and bewildered him at the same time.

“Thank you, Robin-chan. You’re such a big help,” Sanji thanked her as he felt his worries ebb away.

“You’re always welcome, Cook-san,” the lady replied dearly with a smile.

* * *

 

Nami felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. With her eyes trying to blink the drowsiness away, she pulled up her head from her arms and looked at her nakama who was holding a tray beside her. “Sanji-kun?”

“Yes, Nami-san. Good morning.” Placing the contents of the tray down on the end table beside her desk, Sanji informed her, “Robin-chan requested me to make you a coffee. I also prepared a light snack for you to go with the drink. Hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s fine,” she said, taking the cup in her hands and inhaling the wonderful aroma of the brewed drink, “thank you so much, Sanji-kun.”

“Breakfast will be at seven thirty, my flower.” Nami nodded and Sanji took this cue to take his leave, however, after only a few steps, the blond turned around on his heels and walked back to her.

“What is it?” Nami inquired curiously.

Sanji looked quite fidgety, like having second thoughts or doubting about something. “Um, Nami-san?” Sliding his hand down his pocket and pulling out the small bottle container, Sanji offered the material to the navigator and said, “I… put this in my kitchen drawer yesterday, but I think I should give it back to you.”

Nami eyed the bottle of oil in Sanji’s hand and raising her stare up to the flushed face of her nakama, she said, “Why? Keep it. You and Zoro might need it in the future.”

Sanji was quite sure that he made a weird noise in his throat. “It’s, uh, okay, Nami-san. We won’t actually… need it for a while.” Because, hell, his stomach would be growing bigger soon and Sanji was certain that it would impede his sex life, thank you very much. Not that he was looking forward to doing it with Zoro. Of course not.

With a playful smile slowly curving her thin lips, Nami took a sip on her coffee before saying, “Who says that you won’t be needing it?”

“Um…” Sanji hated to explain it to his angel, but he had to. “I’ll be pregnant for nine months, Nami-san. My body can’t take the exhaustion.”

 _Because sometimes, that Marimo’s libido was too much for me to handle,_ Sanji actually wanted to say. Zoro wasn’t sexually frustrated, well, as it appeared to him. Because the man had so much discipline and self-control in that large body of his; however, as the primary witness, Sanji knew how ardent and aroused Zoro could be when pulled the right trigger.

The swordsman was so _hot_ during the entire time that Sanji was shocked he hadn’t died of a nosebleed yet.

“I know.” Nami winked at him. “But who says that only you can take _it_?”

Sanji’s mind stopped for a bit, trying to digest what his flower meant about that statement, and when the right gear fit into his thought process, Sanji’s jaw dropped and his eyes bulged out of their sockets. “N-Nami-san, that’s…”

“Having the ability to get pregnant doesn’t mean you’re any less of a man, Sanji-kun,” Nami explained to him with that considerate thoughtful look in her eyes. “You’re still _you._ A guy who stands on equal footing with Zoro. You probably thought that you’re the one to take it because of your condition, but you’re wrong. You know Zoro always – _always_ – thinks about your wellbeing. So if you request to take things a little bit _differently_ , for certain, that idiot won’t refuse.”

Sanji couldn’t… speak. He remembered that time in Whole Cake Island, that moment with Zoro inside the quiet confines of his chamber in the chateau. When the swordsman dropped his pride and offered himself bare to him, saying, “You can take me if you want.”

Sanji recalled refusing the offer and saying that he could take it. And he also remembered – quite clearly so – Zoro saying, “I know you can. But you don’t have to.”

It didn’t really occur to him to do things differently. Not that he wouldn’t consider it, just that he hadn’t thought of it until now. The possibilities, the ‘what-ifs’ and the thrill of having Zoro – that hard unbreakable man – at his mercy made him feel so… _excited_.

Swallowing the lump inside his throat and feeling his flushed cheeks deepen in color, Sanji slid the bottle back in his pocket and said with averted eyes, “I’ll… take your gift wholeheartedly then, my angel.”

Nami chuckled and patted Sanji’s arm. “It’s alright. No need to be shy about it. And before I forget, I wanna apologize for what happened yesterday, Sanji-kun.” The smile on her lips faded as her eyebrows furrowed in apology. “I somehow felt guilty for that trouble with Kaitarou. If I hadn’t stormed in like that and started spitting fire at Zoro, then he probably wouldn’t have said that swear word in the first place.”

“It’s okay, Nami-san. I’ve already talked to my son about it last night.” _With a lot of explanation about good and bad things which took us a whole hour_ , Sanji thought.

“No.” The navigator shook her head. “It’s still inconsiderate of me, barging in like that and not minding if the kid’s there. It’s just... when I realized that you guys did it without proper preparation, I felt a bit mad. Well, _worried_ was the right word. ‘Cause I meant what I said, you know?” Lifting her gaze to the blond in front of her, Nami said with concern, “You have to be careful with doing things, Sanji-kun. You’re pregnant right now, so you have to take extra care of yourself.”

“It was Chopper’s idea to buy that oil,” Nami added, “because when he knew that I booked that beach house for your honeymoon, he was so worried about it. I mean, yes, Chopper’s still a kid in our eyes, but that little guy’s a _doctor._ And he kept saying that without proper preparation, something might _tear_ up and that could result to _bleeding_. You know you can’t bleed at all cost, Sanji-kun, especially if it’s somewhere near your baby.”

Because of those words, the reality of his pregnancy burrowed deeper into Sanji, clawing its way in until his very center. He was restricted of doing certain things, was expected to take extra care of himself, all because of his current condition – for the sake of his unborn child inside his womb.

He remembered those hard times when he was still carrying Kaitarou inside him. The nausea, the backache, the fatigue, the fever… everything. But when his son was born, looking so small and precious inside his arms, smiling that adorable toothless smile at him and curling his tiny hands around his finger, every pain and every struggle was paid off.

With his hand mindlessly going over his stomach, his palm stroking gently that barely visible bump covered by his thick winter coat, Sanji replied, “I understand, Nami-san. Thank you.”

The navigator released a relieved sigh and smiling, she said, “I’ll apologize to Zoro, too, later. But make sure your husband’s had enough rest–” Nami grabbed the sandwich from the plate “–‘cause I’m pretty sure Chopper will have a long talk with him today.”

-TBC

* * *

 

 

_This is off story but I just wanna share to you this Zoro art I made for his comeback in the manga!_

_(I made it movie poster-like. 'Cause Sanji's badass husband deserves it.)_

_You can reblog the art on[ **Tumblr**](https://ladyelocin.tumblr.com/post/175468306661/im-sorry-kinemon-roronoa)._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing domestic Straw Hat crew scenes (ZoSan too). They're refreshing and funny.
> 
> By the way, I wanna share to you that I _literally_ studied the whole blueprint of Thousand Sunny for about half an hour just to find a place for that couple room (ughhh). And, oh, the Map Room mentioned in this story (as well as in the first book) was the library located in the Observation Room. I just thought of calling it that 'cause that's where Nami always draws her maps.


	7. Two Lost Idiots

**Chapter 6: Two Lost Idiots**

 

Sanji quietly washed the dishes after breakfast, occasionally sneaking glances towards Zoro who was sitting on the couch in the galley and busily wrapping clean bandages around their son’s torso. The kid had his arms leveled with his shoulders, his blue eyes trained on his father’s handiwork, observing the process.

Remembering his conversation last night with Zoro about Kaitarou’s training, Sanji released a troubled sigh as he scrubbed the remaining plates under the running water. He didn’t know if he was glad or not. He didn’t really want his kid to fight at a very young age because he himself knew how much toll it could do to such a young body, but Kaitarou had to know how to defend himself, especially when they were just a few weeks away from war.

_“Train him first,” Sanji said quietly as he stared at his sleeping son, tucked warmly inside a thick blanket on Zoro’s former bed. Sitting side by side on his bed with his husband, the blond continued, “Make his body strong.”_

_Sanji felt the swordsman’s stare beside him, the intensity prickling his skin and making the hair on his arms and neck stand on end. After a few heartbeats, he spoke, “How ‘bout you?”_

_“I’ll think of something,” Sanji replied unsurely as he rubbed a hand at the back of his neck. Zeff really_ hadn’t _taught_ _him how to fight with his legs. He learned it by experience, having to dodge deadly kicks from the old man here and there everyday for freaking_ years. _He picked it up naturally, thus, right now, he really didn’t know how to train Kaitarou properly. Thinking about the problem at hand, Sanji kinda regretted not having a ‘real’ training before with the old pirate._

_“You okay, Cook?”_

_Zoro’s hand nestled comfortably between his shoulder blades. The concern felt nice and Sanji wanted to flip around and hug the life out of his husband. But he restrained himself and instead took in a deep breath. He didn’t know if he should talk about it with Zoro, but the thing had been bothering him for weeks now. “I’m gonna tell you something, but promise me you won’t laugh, yeah?”_

_The swordsman’s face set into a serious look before saying, “Go ahead.”_

_Sanji propped his elbows on his thighs and clasped his fingers together, pressing them against his lips as he let his gaze linger thoughtfully on the sleeping kid in front of him. “When that Candyman bastard attacked the ship about a month ago, I was there when Kaitarou impaled him with his sword.” Sanji’s muscles tensed a bit in recollection of that horrible memory. There was blood. Too much blood. And he regretted every single thing that happened at that moment._

_“I was so… shocked when Kaitarou managed to hurt a Logia-type like him. And when I looked at his little hands clasping around the hilt, I didn’t know if I’d gone fucking crazy or what… but they were covered in_ black _, Zoro.” Sanji’s eyes flicked towards his husband beside him who was listening intently to every word coming out of his mouth. “Our son already has his_ haki _.”_

_The swordsman’s lips parted a little, his dark green eyebrows rising up slowly until his hairline. “That’s… fucking insane.”_

_“I know.” Sanji sighed. “When Kaitarou was angry that time, I also saw flame crackling around him. It was just a brief flash, like sparks, but I couldn’t deny that they closely resembled the flames of my Diable Jambe.”_

_Rubbing the spot above his left curly eyebrow as he felt a headache coming, Sanji whispered, “It’s so messed up.”_

_Sanji felt his upper body turn around in response to two large hands gripping his shoulders. He saw the amazement in the swordsman’s grey eye, the glee in that lopsided grin of his. “I knew it,” he said with barely contained elation, “our son’s gonna be goddamn strong in the future.”_

_Lips parting because of his husband’s sudden burst of exhilaration, Sanji tried to swallow the dryness in his mouth as he watched the swordsman’s eye sparkle with pride towards their son. The man had always been attracted to strength – which was probably the reason why the bastard fell for him – and seeing Zoro acknowledge their son’s ability like this caused him to feel so proud of the little kid._

_“He will be,” Sanji agreed with a delighted grin._

“It’s a bit tight,” Kaitarou complained when Zoro fastened the bandages securely around him.

“I don’t want you reopening your wound. Deal with it,” the swordsman replied, and when the kid’s lower lip jutted out, Zoro’s lips split widely into an amused grin. “Put your arms above your head.”

Kaitarou did as what he was told and he felt the soft fabric of his black sleeveless shirt sliding down his body as his father tucked the hem inside his training pants in the end.

“Are you done there?” Sanji called over his shoulder from the sink.

“Yeah,” Zoro said as he stood up from the couch.

“You sure you can train him properly, Mossbrain? Sure you won’t get lost on your way down?” the blond teased him with a smirk.

The swordsman’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance and he folded his arms above his thick chest in defiance. “Don’t start, Curlybrow. I’m gonna make sure our son kicks your ass in no time.”

The blond snorted and shifted his attention down to the little kid beside him. “How ‘bout you, Sport? Are you sure you can handle it?”

Glancing briefly at Zoro who was standing firmly beside him, Kaitarou straightened his back and crossed his arms over his chest, copying the swordsman’s intimidating stance. Raising his chin up a little, Kaitarou replied, “Of course! I will kick Papa’s ass in no time!”

Sanji burst out laughing because of that and from where he stood, he could also hear Zoro’s boisterous laughter echoing from across the room – his hand messing up their son’s hair in approval as the kid grinned widely at him.

“Just get out of here, two mossheads,” Sanji said smiling and jerking his head towards the door.

The kid ran out of the galley, shouting “Uncle Luffy! Let’s train!” as the swordsman followed behind him. Halfway through the door, the swordsman’s footsteps stopped. Sanji looked over his shoulder when he heard those same footfalls thudding louder and louder towards him.

Zoro stood closely to him as their gazes locked for three whole seconds. Sanji opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but was instantly silenced when Zoro dipped his head down a bit to press his lips against his cheek.

Pulling away after that light peck, Zoro said in a low soft voice, “Later.”

The swordsman turned around his heel and walked away in nonchalance as if he didn’t care about Sanji’s thundering heartbeat right now. Raising a soapy hand over the spot on his cheek where Zoro’s lips left a very much innocent and chaste kiss, Sanji tried to breathe in deeply to stabilize his vital signs. “That… damn Marimo,” he muttered as heat pooled on his face.

That bastard really didn’t have to kiss him to say good bye. Seriously. Goddammit.

* * *

 

It was nearly lunch time when Zoro told Kaitarou to stop his two-handed push-ups. The little kid sprawled on the grassy deck, sweat gliding down his face and neck and chest heaving for air as the muscles in his arms screamed at him in exhaustion. Zoro smiled and sat down beside his kid, looking at the tired but undoubtedly pleased expression on Kaitarou’s face.

“I… made… it,” the kid said between heavy breaths.

“Yeah. You did well, son,” the swordsman complimented him, making the kid giggle in happiness.

After a while, Kaitarou buried his nose against the fabric of his sweaty shirt and grimacing, he said with furrowed curly eyebrows, “I smell.”

The swordsman snorted. His son had never said a single complaint about his training, not a single whine slipping past his lips, and then came the aftermath. He forgot that this kid was just as prissy as his damn love cook.

“Shower?” Yeah. That’d be a great idea. Sanji wouldn’t appreciate them being smelly inside his precious galley.

The kid nodded happily to Zoro’s offer and he jumped on his feet to grab his father’s hand, pulling the man on his feet and tugging him away towards the bathhouse. However, Zoro’s pace stopped when the little kid’s footsteps halted in front of him.

Kaitarou was looking up the stairs to his right… then to the left, then back to his right again. Zoro couldn’t believe it. Was his son… lost?

“Uh,” Zoro cleared his throat, “the bathhouse is that way.” He jerked his chin to the right and his son visibly flinched because of that.

“I’m not lost!” the kid denied hotly with a scowl.

Zoro wanted to laugh.

“Of course not. Who’d be lost in this stupid ship?” Yeah. Who would be, right?

Grabbing his son’s hand and making their way up the stairs, Zoro saw Usopp coming out of the galley. “Hey!” the sharpshooter greeted with a wave. “Done training?”

“Yeah,” the swordsman said, “just going to the bathhouse for a shower.”

“Oh, uh–” Usopp pointed to the swordsman’s left with a nervous smile “–the bathhouse is that way though.”

Zoro felt a discomfited flush creep on his cheeks and his eyebrows instantly pulled down because of his nakama’s words. “Of course I know where the bathhouse is! I’m not lost!”

“Well, I didn’t say anything,” Usopp laughed nervously and patted Zoro’s shoulders before walking past him down the stairs.

He wasn’t lost. Goddammit.

When his gaze dropped down beside him, he saw a pair of round blue eyes staring up at him as if he had grown two heads on the spot. “Daddy’s a lost idiot.”

_“You’re a lost idiot.”_

Sanji’s voice rang inside his head like a huge bell. He didn’t know if he’d get annoyed by what his son had said because, for one, it was that dumb cook’s fault why Kaitarou picked up that stupid nonsense. He wasn’t really worried though. He knew that his son would pick up the weirdest things soon, especially with a rowdy crew around him. But, yeah, maybe he and Sanji should tone it down a little bit. For now.

Flashing his son an unimpressed look, Zoro bent down slightly to flick his fingers against the kid’s forehead playfully. Kaitarou muttered a pained sound – probably upon reflex – and proceeded to rub that spot on his forehead with his hand as his lips pouted adorably.

A lopsided grin formed on the swordsman’s mouth when he said, “If I’m a lost idiot, then you’re a _tiny_ lost idiot, Little Curlybrow.”

-TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to cut this one short in preparation for the next chapter.


	8. Sanji's Condition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will contain lots of medical stuff (but modified for the sake of the story).
> 
> Thank you very much for leaving kudos and reviews to this story! I enjoy reading and replying to your comments and I just wanna take a second to greet you and wholeheartedly thank you for them.

**Chapter 7: Sanji’s Situation**

Perhaps what Zoro hadn’t expected was for Nami to apologize to him after lunch. The orange-haired beauty singled him out before he and Kaitarou could resume their training in the afternoon. She looked sincere with her apology though, but Zoro could only feel terribly awkward during the whole conversation. He just wasn’t made for that kind of sappy things.

And if Zoro thought that his day couldn’t get any weirder, then he was dead wrong. Chopper called him from the railings on the second floor when he was busy helping Kaitarou with his sit-ups. Patting his son’s head, Zoro placed a hand on his knee and pushed himself up to his feet. “Get Uncle Luffy to help you.”

Watching his son ran towards the rubber captain who was dangling stupidly on deck, Zoro slid his swords back in his waistband and proceeded to walk towards the little doctor, who, to Zoro’s opinion, was looking a bit restless with his hoof scratching the side of his furry face.

“What is it?” he asked when he was about a few feet away from Chopper.

“Infirmary,” the little doctor said and opened up the galley’s door, Zoro following him shortly behind.

“Why? Is somebody sick?” he asked, eye roaming around to catch the presence of a certain blond who was currently not inside the room. Where did that love cook go?

“No,” the doctor replied as they passed through the galley to get to the infirmary. Once inside, Chopper gently shut the door behind them and gestured for Zoro to take a seat on the bed.

“Am I getting a check-up then? I’m totally fine, Chopper,” the swordsman assured his nakama as he his rear fell on the mattress of the sickbed.

The little doctor pushed his swivel chair towards the bed, the wheels creaking on the wooden floor and afterwards stopping within a comfortable professional distance from Zoro. Chopper jumped on the chair and scratched his head for a moment before his big round eyes gazed up to his nakama seated on the bed in front of him.

“Sorry for calling you out so suddenly. I just wanna discuss some important things with you in private,” the doctor said as his hooves fidgeted on his lap.

“O… kay.” Zoro honestly didn’t know what to say to that. Was he perhaps dying? Caught some strange disease? He wasn’t really afraid of anything like that. If it was his time, then screw it. Still, it would just be a shame that he wouldn’t even get to achieve his dream if he died before even getting close to it. And he wasn’t also fond of the idea of leaving that damn cook and his children alone. If he would have to climb the walls of hell to drag out his ass from there just to see Kaitarou and Sprout grow up, then fuck, he would do it without a second thought.

“Um, you see,” the little doctor began, “I know you’ve been wondering about Sanji’s condition, right? How he’s able to miraculously conceive a child?”

Zoro’s eyebrow rose. So this talk was about Sanji? He was a bit relieved that it wasn’t about him dying or anything, but the real topic had him tensing a little bit. He wasn’t really keen on having a conversation about his pregnant partner _and_ medical stuff. The combination sounded a bit serious and dangerous for his taste.

“Not really,” Zoro responded truthfully, placing his leg above his other thigh and folding his arms against his chest, “if the cook can go through the whole pregnancy thing safely, then that’s enough for me.”

A sigh came out from Chopper’s mouth. “Thought you’d say that.” The little doctor jumped out of the chair to rummage through his desk drawer, and when he found what he was looking for, Chopper went back on his seat holding a slightly old sketchbook. He opened it and stopped on the page where different anatomical body parts where drawn, with side notes written beside the drawings in a messy cursive handwriting.

“I’ve been doing my research for the past four years. It still isn’t enough and there are holes in my theory, but I came up with a sound hypothesis.” Chopper showed Zoro a drawing of a male, the latter’s eyebrows rising up to his hairline when he saw a _baby_ drawn _inside_ his abdomen. “You see this sac-like structure here?” Chopper pointed at the thing enveloping the baby. “That’s the uterus. I already told Sanji before, but if he is capable of conception, then he probably has a uterus, no, not only that, but ovaries and fallopian tubes as well. Which are structures found solely in females.” Chopper then flipped to the next page, revealing a sagittal section of a male with a  _womb_.

He tried to hold back his tongue about the possible source of Sanji’s strange problem. He remembered the blond telling him about his mother drinking a medicine that probably had the forbidden herb, amagenon, as one of the ingredients. In his memory, Sanji looked doubtful and awkward when he was sharing that personal information, thus – even though that forbidden herb was probably the one at fault for the development of a female’s reproductive structures inside Sanji’s body –as a doctor, in respect to his patient’s confidentiality, Chopper tried to omit that part of the story.

 “This structure here is the rectum,” he continued and then pointed to another structure branching from the former one, “and this canal here just above the prostate and behind the bladder is probably Sanji’s birth canal. It can be synonymous to a vagina, but this one’s a bit shorter.”

Zoro released a cough because of that. Okay, this whole thing was fucking awkward. He knew Chopper was trying to explain things slowly to him, how mechanisms work in the medical field, but the talk was just a bit uncomfortable for him especially whenever he thought of Sanji having those strange structures inside his body. But he _did_ listen, trying to remain calm and absorb most of Chopper’s words.

“A female’s birth canal is designed to stretch to accommodate the baby’s size during delivery. But Sanji’s birth canal is more complicated than that,” the little doctor continued as he pointed out the part he was referring to, “the distal part of the canal was guarded by a sphincter, influenced by the pressure inside the uterus and the pressure of the rectum. During copulation, the increased pressure in the rectum forces that sphincter to open, allowing the sperm to propel inside the canal, towards the uterus, and fertilize the ovum inside the fallopian tube. And after the ovum has been fertilized and implanted on the uterine wall as a blastocyst, physiologic responses and certain hormones will signal the body to close the sphincter to prevent any further entry of sperm and to also protect the developing embryo inside the uterus.”

“The problem with this whole thing lies here–” Chopper pointed at the branch point of the canal and the rectum “–when the pressure inside the uterus increases in response to the growth of the baby, the sphincter might open and result to the baby’s delivery. However, the rectum and anal canal aren’t made to accommodate the large size of the baby unlike a female’s vagina. The baby’s head might get lodged here in the anorectal junction, suffocating it and killing it. In a worst case scenario, the rectum might rupture and can cause internal bleeding to Sanji.”

Zoro couldn’t help but wince. He really didn’t get the thing about that blasto-shit and other confusing stuff, but the words ‘suffocate’, ‘kill’, ‘rupture’ and ‘internal bleeding’ were enough to make him feel sick. That was just so fucked up.

“That is why, according to Ranport-san, the only way to deliver the baby without staking its life as well as Sanji’s, is through C-section.”

Zoro remembered that lovely scar under the blond’s navel. Even if the imperfection contrasted against Sanji’s creamy skin, he couldn’t deny that the flaw looked so attractive and beautiful on him, especially if it had a meaningful history behind it – the story of Kaitarou’s birth. Zoro felt the corner of his lips curl briefly. He fucking loved that scar.

Chopper closed the sketchbook and placed it on his lap. “Sanji’s in his second month now. His bump will become more visible and his nausea might get worse this time. His hormones will mess up with him more than they already have, leading to mood swings or exaggerated emotional responses. And that’s the real reason why I want to talk to you, Zoro.”

Zoro remained silent as he stared seriously at his nakama. Chopper looked stern, but a tinge of worry was also reflected on his face. “You and Sanji fight a lot and I know it won’t stop during his gestation period. However, if you can avoid it, please do so.” Chopper’s eyes dropped down on his thighs, his brows knotting in concern. “I’ve heard from Ranport-san that Sanji had a tough time with his first pregnancy. It could be, because his body isn’t naturally designed for it. His body might be adjusting to the current situation that time that was why his immune system suffered a bit from it. It’s just my hypothesis, but…” Lifting his eyes up to the swordsman in front of him, he continued, “…I’m afraid things might get worse this time. When I tested Sanji last week, I discovered that his first pregnancy had weakened his uterus a bit. His body manages to support the baby’s development in a way, but it still ‘partially’ recognizes it as a foreign object. His body rejects the baby like a graft, but the effect is still too minimal to raise any medical attention.”

Tears pooled in Chopper’s eyes and sniffling, he said, “I informed Sanji about it, but he told me not to worry because he’s strong and can handle it well. But I’m still worried about him and his baby, Zoro. This second pregnancy can take a toll on him. His immune system is a little weaker than before and his uterus is no longer in its one hundred percent viability. I really hope I can do something about it… and I hate myself because I _can’t_.”

Zoro tried to swallow the painful lump in his throat. Chopper was crying in front of him, their ship’s trusted doctor and probably the most talented one in the whole world. It was a bad thing, very, _very_ bad. With his heart banging painfully against his ribcage, Zoro asked, “The cook and our kid… they won’t… die, right?”

When the words left his mouth, Zoro felt a dull ache settle inside his chest, like a gnawing pain that was threatening to rip him apart from the inside out.

Chopper shook his head and Zoro felt himself visibly sigh at that. “Right now, no. Sanji’s doing well, but his health will deteriorate slowly during his pregnancy. It won’t be a big deal if he’s provided with proper medical care.”

“Then you should help him until the end, Chopper,” Zoro said, his voice a bit strained with emotion.

Glancing up to his nakama, Chopper saw the rigid set of the muscles on the swordsman’s jaws, his tensed shoulders and white-knuckled grip on his folded arms. “You have to be with him,” he heard the swordsman say as the man stared seriously, almost _pleadingly_ at him, “please.”

A tear escaped from Chopper’s eyes and he jumped from his seat to throw himself at Zoro. Burying his crying face against the swordsman’s chest, the doctor sobbed, “I will. I will make sure he gets through this safely.”

That was all Zoro needed to hear to calm down. He needed Chopper’s assurance, because, fuck, he was the only doctor that he trusted his life with. So if there was anyone that he would trust with his husband and kid’s lives as well, then that would be _only_ him.

“Thank you, Chopper,” the swordsman responded quietly as he patted the little doctor’s back, calming him down from his cries.

Why didn’t the cook say something to him? If he had a check-up with Chopper about something as important as his pregnancy, then why didn’t he inform him about it? He wasn’t mad, but disappointed. He _should_ know things which concerned about Sanji; he was his _husband_ after all. Maybe the cook thought it wasn’t something to be worried about? Because he could make it through safely like the first pregnancy? Zoro would like to think that he would, but still, there were risks and possibilities that Zoro couldn’t be certain about anything anymore even if he wanted to.

“Can I ask for a favor, Zoro?” Chopper asked as he sniffed and rubbed his eyes dry.

“What is it?”

“Sanji can be hard sometimes, especially during this phase in his life, but–” Chopper looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes “–I want you to understand him. Have more patience. Support him in every way you can. ‘Cause that’s probably what he needs most right now.”

* * *

 

Sanji couldn’t stop thinking about what Chopper would say to Zoro. It had been in his mind ever since this morning, but he didn’t say anything and just decided to quietly observe from a distance. During breakfast and lunch, he could see Chopper sneaking glances at Zoro, as if afraid enough to confront him.

Honestly, Sanji roughly had an idea on what the little doctor would say to his husband. It was probably a matter concerning his pregnancy, about that little check-up he had with the doctor last week before his and Zoro’s wedding.

He didn’t mention it to Zoro, because it wasn’t a big deal. He could make it just like the last time. He was strong and the baby inside his womb was, too. The swordsman would just be worried unnecessarily and it could be a bit annoying for him if Zoro started laying around rules on how to live his life. Not that he didn’t trust Zoro. No. He just didn’t want to inflict any unnecessary panic on the swordsman.

But, fuck, was he dead wrong.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

That was the first thing Zoro said when Sanji came back to the galley. His husband was leaning against the counter, face looking so serious and sporting an accusing glare towards him.

“What’re you talking about?” the blond asked as he made his way towards the refrigerator.

“Chopper told me everything.”

“About what?” he said, feigning innocence, as he opened the refrigerator’s door. He heard the heavy thuds of Zoro’s boots against the wooden floor and his hand slipped from the handle when the man pushed the refrigerator shut.

“You know what I’m talking about,” he said, his voice steady and low, as if trying to remain calm and stretch his patience further.

Sanji sighed and straightened up his back, turning his head to the side to stare at his husband with a blank expression, “Is this about the check-up?”

A muscle on Zoro’s jaw jumped and his eyebrows furrowed deeply when the blond hit the mark. “Why didn’t you say anything, Cook?”

“Because there’s nothing to say,” Sanji explained almost right after Zoro said his piece, as if simply stating a fact.

“That’s bullshit,” Zoro replied without a particularly sharp edge in his voice. He was unusually calm; Sanji observed. He thought of his husband spitting fire at him right after he knew about that check-up, cussing at him or probably throwing and flipping things around which would earn him a hard kick from Sanji for ruining his magnificent kitchen.

“You should’ve told me about it.”

“And what?” Sanji snorted. “Get you to worry for me? I’m not weak, Moss Head. I can make it fine on my own.”

“You’re not on your own anymore, Shitty Cook,” Zoro said with a frown, “I’m here for you.”

Those words left Sanji tongue-tied for a moment. Of course. Fuck. Zoro would say things like these. Now, Sanji felt so shitty for being so goddamn self-centered and insensitive.

“I know,” Sanji said softly, taking a step closer to the swordsman and placing his hands on his broad shoulders, “I just don’t want you to worry, okay? I’m fine. Sprout will be fine. Chopper will make sure of it. He said so himself.”

Dropping his gaze down between their chests, Zoro took in a deep breath through his nose and inhaled the blond’s sweet scent. “Just tell me about it next time, yeah? Even the little things. I don’t want to be left behind again.”

 _Again._ The word gave Sanji’s heart a painful squeeze inside his chest. Zoro was remembering those lost and regretful times when he could’ve been by Sanji’s side during his first pregnancy, those hard but wonderful moments in the cook’s life which he could’ve been a part of.

“I’m sorry.” That was all Sanji could say for the first few seconds. He didn’t know exactly what he was sorry about: for not telling about the check-up, for leaving Zoro behind four years ago… or for both. Either way, Sanji still felt terribly guilty about them all.

Running his palms to the sides of Zoro’s face, the pads of his fingers feeling the warm tan skin underneath them, the blond leaned forward and pressed a kiss on his husband’s mouth. Zoro’s lips responded in a heartbeat, moving softly and slowly against his in a wordless utter of ‘I forgive you’ and ‘I love you.’

The sound of their lips parting seemed to echo in the stillness of the galley. With eyes closed and breaths coming out in a steady rhythm, Sanji pressed his forehead against Zoro’s and listened first to their raging heartbeats. When the silence stretched on, the blond spoke again, “I’m sorry.”

“S’fine,” the swordsman murmured.

“I’ll tell you if something comes up again. Promise.”

Zoro hummed in reply, pleased by what the blond said. Placing his hands on Sanji’s hips and tugging him closer, Zoro whispered, “I love you, Cook.”

Sanji’s breath hitched in his throat for a second. Zoro’s confession had always left him breathless, each time feeling like the first one and containing the same passion and intensity that it made Sanji’s head spin.

“I love you, too,” Sanji replied quietly – almost breathlessly and barely sounding above a whisper – but enough for Zoro to hear the loving words and to urge the man to lean forward and claim his lips once again.

-TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a medical student, I find this chapter fun to write (P.S. that silly illustration is fun to draw too. Never thought I'd make one omg). But sorry if I bored you with it.
> 
> I'm not sure if I'll be able to update on July 7th for Kaitarou's birthday but I'll definitely do an art for him which will be posted on my [Tumblr](http://ladyelocin.tumblr.com) and [Instagram](http://instagram.com/ladyelocin). You can check them out if you like. :)


	9. Burning Beneath the Cold

**Warning: For some explicit words ahead.**

* * *

 

**Chapter 8: Burning Beneath the Cold**

_His eyes stared down at the beautiful cake in front of him. His father made it especially for him, skillfully crafted with his chef hands and bordering – if not already was – to perfection. His birthday cakes had always been wonderful; he should be happy, but something couldn’t quite settle_ right _with him._

_The flame of the candle wavered, casting soft orange shadows against his features. He stared at it, keenly, watching as the quiet flame burnt the wick slowly, melting the wax near it, going down, down… down._

_“Sweetie?”_

_His eyes flicked towards the direction of his father, his blond hair obscuring the right side of his face, his curly eyebrows knotted slightly and his blue eyes gazing down at him in concern. “Don’t you like your cake?”_

_He shook his head. “I like it.”_

_“Then why do you look so sad? Don’t you want to make a wish?”_

_Turning his stare again towards the flame of the candle, Kaitarou clutched the teddy bear inside his arms tighter. “I don’t… believe in wishes anymore.”_

_The blond’s lips parted a little, his speech leaving him for a span of a few seconds before finding the composure to kneel down beside his son and hold him by the shoulders. “Hey, sweetie, look at me,” he started as he waited for the kid to look him in the eye, “is there any problem? You know you can always tell Papa anything, right?”_

_Kaitarou nodded slowly._

_“Then what’s wrong?” Sanji prodded gently._

_Kaitarou’s stare dropped down on his feet, feeling a wave of loneliness engulf his heart every second the flame of the candle burnt steadily beside him._ The flame will die too, _he thought_ , no matter how bright it gets.

_“Why is Daddy not here?”_

_“What?” Sanji asked, thinking that he might have heard his son wrong._

_When the kid’s blue eyes looked up at him, Sanji saw the longing and sadness reflecting from those youthful eyes, the early years of pain and unspoken questions burdening that one innocent stare. “I wished for Daddy to be here last year. I also wished for him to be here today.” Kaitarou rubbed the tears in his eyes, wiping them dry before having the chance to fall down his face. “I don’t… want to wish anymore.”_

_Sanji’s throat went dry. He could feel a pang of pain throbbing deeply inside his chest, suffocating him and gripping his heart tightly to the point that he could no longer breathe. His hands reached for his son’s face as he leaned forward to press a firm kiss against his forehead, his lips lingering longer than he’d expected as he listened to the quiet cries of his three-year-old son._

_“Shh,” the blond hushed Kaitarou as he pulled back, wiping the traitorous tears staining the kid’s cheeks with his thumbs and saying, “you’ll see your Daddy someday. I promise.”_

_“Is he–” Kaitarou sniffled “–still alive?”_

_“Of course,” the blond said to him even if he wasn’t a hundred percent sure himself. It had been more than a month since he last heard from his crew and the war with Kaido was getting worse as time passed by. The more the letters stopped coming, the more anxious he got. Anything could happen and Sanji was scared of that ‘anything’ being close to ‘death.’_

_But he trusted him. He trusted Zoro to stay alive. The man would become the greatest swordsman in the world someday; he wouldn’t allow himself to die in this war until he fought Mihawk again and finally claim the title. He wouldn’t die._

_Sanji wouldn’t let him._

_“Your Daddy’s strong,” he assured his sobbing son, “he won’t be defeated by anyone. But you must understand that he has… things to do away from us.”_

_“What things?”_

_Sanji sighed, caressing the side of the kid’s face softly. “He needs to fight for his dream.”_

_“Does–” Kaitarou wiped the tears in his eyes again before lifting his gaze up to his father “–Daddy know me?”_

_The blond’s hand froze. He felt a lump clogging his windpipe, obstructing the airway and choking him to death. He forgot to breathe for a moment, and when the kid’s question finally settled down in his brain, Sanji swallowed painfully. “No,” he answered quietly – truthfully – with his voice sounding strained and equipped with turbulent emotions, “he doesn’t.”_

_Kaitarou’s expression cracked slowly because of that, his little face twisting in heartache and sorrow, and the next thing that Sanji heard was his son’s loud cries, his utterances of ‘I want to see Daddy’ and ‘I want him here’ against his chest as tears continued to flow down the kid’s face in steady streams._

_“I’m sorry.” Sanji bit his lip hard as he cradled his weeping son tightly inside his arms. Fuck. There were tears falling down from his eyes. It hurt. It was his fault that his son was crying like this. “I’m sorry. Don’t cry, sweetie.” He planted a kiss on the crown of his son’s head. “Your Daddy will love you as much as I do when he sees you. I’m sure of that.”_

_He wasn’t sure of that. Zoro might kill him when they meet again for hiding a big and scandalous secret like this from him for years. He didn’t know if the man would accept Kaitarou – that was his biggest fear. He could take the beatings and the verbal assault, but he couldn’t take it if the swordsman disowned their son in any way._

_It would rip Sanji to pieces._

_Kaitarou gripped the fabric of his father’s shirt tightly. “I want–” he sobbed “–to see… Daddy.”_

* * *

“…tie?”

His eyes fluttered open slowly.

“Sweetie?”

He felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, urging him to wake up.

“Are you up?”

After Kaitarou blinked the blurriness away, his eyes focused on the man sitting on the edge of his bed, his long, slender fingers stroking the short strands of his hair and threatening to lull him again to sleep. “Papa?” he muttered groggily.

Sanji’s lips curved into a smile. “Yeah.” Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss against his son’s forehead and said, “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

Kaitarou’s eyes roamed around, taking in every detail of the room for there was this certain feeling of dread and fear coiling deep inside his chest, as if afraid that with his Papa here, wishing him happy birthday just like how he did for three years, waking up alone only to find his blond father trying to smile down at him as if nothing was amiss, that no one was _missing_ , brought back those painful memories where he’d wished to see his _other_ father even just for a second.

“Is Daddy here?” he asked, hand rubbing his right eye.

Sanji’s speech failed him for a moment. “Uh,” he began and cleared his throat, “no he isn’t here, sweetie.”

Kaitarou froze. Was it all… a dream?

“Daddy’s not–” the kid’s eyebrows furrowed “–here?”

“He’s outside. He woke up before you,” Sanji explained and ran a hand through his son’s short green locks, “what’s the matter?”

A flush of relief flooded Kaitarou’s system, calming the tempest inside his chest a little as his shoulders sagged. “I want to see Daddy.”

Sanji knew what this was about. His son was scared that Zoro wouldn’t be by his side on his birthday, just like how it had been for the past three years. When his son cried inside his arms last year, sobbing against his chest his yearning to meet the swordsman, Sanji felt his heart crack like a fragile glass. It was his fault that they’d been apart for so long and Sanji couldn’t live up with the guilt that time. It was eating him alive, and it had hurt so much.

“Okay.” Sanji lifted the kid in his arms, Kaitarou wrapping his own in return around his father’s neck. His son was quiet, with his curly eyebrows pulled together in slight worry and sadness. Sanji couldn’t stand that look on his son’s face.

When Sanji opened the door of the men’s bunk, the light of the morning sun greeted him as he made his way toward the swordsman who was laughing by Usopp and Luffy’s side. The latter two were sitting on top of the railings, fishing poles in their hands as they chattered and waited for the bait to lure a good catch from the blue waters.

It was Luffy who first saw their approach and a wide grin instantly broke upon his face. “Oi! Happy birthday, Kai-chan!”

The other Straw Hats and the guests on board heard it and they all greeted the little kid from where they were, waving and offering kind smiles to him. Sanji told them yesterday about Kaitarou’s birthday celebration today. There were shocked gasps and complaints among his crew, chiding him for not telling about the occasion much sooner so they could’ve prepared something for the kid. He told them that they didn’t have to, but his nakama insisted to do something or have something for his son. It was sweet, actually. Sanji couldn’t be more grateful to them.

Despite all the greetings, Kaitarou seemed unfazed and still had that anxious look on his face, never once lifting his gaze to the people who’d just greeted him. The Straw Hats looked worried for a while, eyeing the melancholic figure of the kid inside the blond’s arms. “He’s still sleepy,” Sanji said, attempting to lighten up their worry. “Thanks for the greetings, everyone.”

“Hey.”

The blond’s eyes shifted towards the approaching form of his husband, eyebrows furrowed in concern and grey eye perturbed as he looked at his son. “What’s wrong?”

Sanji couldn’t speak for a moment, gaze drifting to the sad expression on the kid’s face before saying, “He wants to see you, Marimo.”

“Yeah?” the swordsman said, curiosity and confusion thick in his voice. Zoro took the kid from Sanji’s arms, his hand patting down his son’s small back gently as if giving comfort and willing the sadness away.

“Daddy,” he heard Kaitarou muttered against his shoulder as the little kid’s arms tightened around his neck.

“Hey, bud,” the swordsman answered with a small smile on his lips.

“Daddy’s here.”

The knot on Zoro’s eyebrows deepened. “Of course, I’m here,” he whispered to his ear before darting his gaze towards the blond in front of him. Sanji was eyeing the exchange carefully, a small strained smile playing on his lips; the swordsman knew him enough to say that it was one of sadness instead of joy. And that expression only confused the hell out of Zoro.

“Let’s get inside. It’s still a bit cold,” Sanji offered when he saw the unspoken questions in Zoro’s eye.

“Oi, Luffy! Usopp! Make sure to have a good and large catch, yeah?” the swordsman reminded the two pirates. “We’re gonna have a party tonight!”

“Aye!” the two Straw Hats said with a salute.

The swordsman followed Sanji and once seated on Kaitarou’s bed inside the men’s bunkroom, Zoro noticed the tight grip of his son on his black coat, his tiny hands clinging to him as if he was worried that Zoro would vanish if he let go even for just a split second.

“Son, are you okay?” the swordsman asked as he ran a gentle hand on his head.

The kid nodded as he sat on Zoro’s lap. “I just want Daddy to be here.”

“Kaitarou’s always wanted you to be on his birthday.”

Turning his remaining good eye towards Sanji, the swordsman asked, “What?”

“He’s afraid. That you won’t be with us again this year.” Sanji’s elbows rested on top of his thighs, his long, slender fingers fidgeting as if trying to find the courage to continue what he was about to say. “He cried on his third birthday. He really wanted to see you so bad, but I couldn’t do anything about it. It was my fault in the first place.”

“What are you talking about?”

Sanji released a long sigh before lifting his eyes up to meet his husband’s confused stare. “It was my fault that you two weren’t together for almost four years.” He swallowed. “It was my fault that he felt tormented in such a young age.”

“Oi.” Zoro scowled. “It wasn’t your fault. You did what you thought was right. It was difficult for me, yeah, but it was difficult for you, too. Stop blaming yourself.”

“I…” Both of the men’s gazes turned toward the little kid, his mouth hanging open with unspoken words. Kaitarou looked at the blond and said, “I don’t blame Papa.”

Sanji’s lips parted in surprise, probably in relief as well when he heard himself sigh for the second time in a span of a minute. “See?” he heard the swordsman say. “We’re not blaming you for anything, Cook.”

Sanji felt the back of his eyes sting. No. He wouldn’t cry. Ah, shit. These damn hormones.

Zoro saw the slight break in the blond’s expression and a wry grin formed on his lips. “What, are you touched, Cook? Gonna cry?”

Sanji frowned at him. “Shut up, idiot. I’m not.” He heard a low laugh rumble inside the swordsman’s throat and he felt him reach for the back of his head to tug him closer, eliminating the gap between them until the swordsman’s lips pressed against his forehead firmly.

Sanji’s heart pounded loudly inside his chest, spreading warmth across his torso and up to his neck and face. The swordsman pulled away with a lopsided grin, his calloused fingers rubbing his scalp slightly and feeling the silky texture of his blond locks.

Zoro’s other hand rested on top of Kaitarou’s head and then he said, “You two curlybrows are such crybabies.”

“Shut up!”

“I’m not!”

Sanji and Kaitarou exclaimed respectively, and the swordsman laughed heartily because of that. Sanji rolled his eyes and smacked Zoro’s hand away from his head. “Call me a crybaby again and I will kick your ass.”

“I will kick Daddy’s ass, too,” Kaitarou agreed with a huff, folding his arms on his chest and frowning so fucking adorably.

“Hear that Moss Head? Your kid and I are gonna beat your mossy ass up,” Sanji said with a naughty grin.

Rolling his eye at his husband, the swordsman sat Kaitarou down on the bed before hauling himself to his feet. He walked toward his locker and busied himself with god-knows-what.

Sanji spoke as he watched his husband rummaging through his stuff, “What’re you doing?”

“Looking for something–ah!” Zoro grinned when he found what he was looking for, shutting the locker’s door close before walking back to where Sanji and Kaitarou were. The swordsman let his rear fall on the mattress beside his son, situating the kid between him and Sanji as they sat on the bed.

“It’s something simple, but–” Zoro placed his hand in front of the kid, opening his palm and revealing a stone necklace “–here.”

Kaitarou’s mouth slackened a bit as he reached for the necklace from his father’s hand. The pendant was a Turquoise, polished and cut into a sphere and chained by a black cord. The stone was shiny and beautiful and as Kaitarou looked closely, his thumb stroking it in awe, it was as if he was looking right into the clear blue ocean.

“I bought it in Palm Tree Island, in one of the antique shops there.” Zoro rubbed a hand over his neck. “Old man said it’s a protective shield against enemies, worn by ancient warriors hundreds of years ago.”

“Zoro, that’s…” Sanji’s widened eyes turned away from the stone to look at his husband. “That’s wonderful.”

Heat rose up on Zoro’s cheeks and he disguised that fluttery feeling inside his gut with a cough on his fist. “Well, it should be.” He sighed. “Cost me a whole month’s worth of allowance.”

Sanji chuckled and shook his head. “That’s insane. You should’ve told me. We could’ve split the bill.”

“No.” The swordsman frowned. “I want to buy that thing from my own savings.”

 _Oh, fuck,_ Sanji thought. He wasn’t touched. No. He should ignore the butterflies in his stomach, the warmth burning his cheeks. He shouldn’t feel the inexplicable desire to throw his arms around the swordsman and smother the bastard with kisses. No. It wasn’t him; it was the hormones talking. Yes. Damn it.

Sanji watched as the swordsman chained the necklace around Kaitarou’s neck. After a short while, the little kid grinned widely and said to his father, “I like it.”

Chuckling, Zoro patted his head. “Glad to hear it.”

Zoro’s gift was wonderful. And Sanji felt a slight pang of jealousy because of that. He didn’t know if his gift would be at par with his or would even be close to it in value. However, with a sigh coming out of his mouth, Sanji stood up from the bed and made his way towards his locker, grabbing his gift and wordlessly walking his way back towards his son and husband.

“Here,” he offered as he sat down and placed a book on his son’s lap.

Kaitarou held the book with both hands, eyes widening and sparkling when he read the title. “Tales… of the… Four… Blues,” he read slowly, struggling with the words as his young mind tried to fasten sounds, syllables and thoughts.

Sanji heard a low laugh coming from the swordsman. “He can’t read? You haven’t taught him?”

“Of course, he can. He just _did_ –” Sanji rolled his eyes “–he’s struggling ‘cause I’m _still_ on the privilege of teaching him. That’s why I bought him that. It’s a storybook.”

Kaitarou flashed his father a wide smile, the kind which went up to his eyes and wrinkled the bridge of his nose. “Will Papa read it for me?”

Smiling, the blond replied, “Of course. I’ll also teach you how to read it yourself, sweetie.”

The kid hugged him in return, effectively melting Sanji’s heart and turning him into a sappy, fatherly puddle. When the kid pulled back, he said, “I have to show my book to Uncle Usopp! He has many great tales about the four blues!”

 _More like lies_ , Sanji thought, but he just let out a chuckle and pinched his son’s nose lightly. “Alright. Careful on your way out. The floor’s a bit slippery outside.”

Kaitarou nodded and half-ran, half-walked out of the men’s bunk, the tail of his winter coat bouncing in his every step. Sanji felt the mattress beside him move up as a weight was lifted from it. “Gonna train in the crow’s nest,” he heard the swordsman say and his curly eyebrows shot up.

Sanji crossed his arms over his chest and stretched a long leg in front of the swordsman, planting his feet on the edge of the bed next to where he was seated and barricading the man’s way out. Zoro’s footsteps stopped when his knees hit the cook’s leg, an eyebrow raising and a grey eye shifting questioningly towards his husband’s direction.

“Oh no you’re not,” Sanji opposed, “you’re gonna get your ass with Luffy and Usopp and make sure that you catch me a goddamn good fish or whatever for tonight’s party.”

Zoro rolled his eye. “Don’t order me around, Shit-cook. I won’t baby-sit those two idiots.” He tried to move forward but Sanji’s leg didn’t budge, sturdy as rock pillars and immovable as a huge boulder. Zoro’s gaze travelled from the blond’s foot, along that long span of leg which didn’t seem to end, and then up to the face of his lover who was arching a challenging and defiant curly eyebrow at him.

Sanji’s face was smug, pleased that the swordsman couldn’t even make his leg move the slightest. And Zoro wanted nothing but to wipe that annoying expression off his face.

“Don’t make me kick your ass, Cook. Move away,” he said in a low voice as a frown settled on his features.

“You don’t scare me, Marimo,” Sanji responded with a sly smirk, “I’ve been accustomed to your death threats for years and those are nothing but sweet words to my ears, my darling.”

“Call me darling again and I’ll cut you in half,” the man growled.

“What, blushing are we, _darling_?” the cook teased.

“Fuck you.”

“Well, you have to come here if you’re going to.”

 Zoro’s shoulders tensed and his eye widened a bit as he stared at the grinning bastard beside him. Was the cook insinuating something? The little devil had always been good with his mouth, knowing where to push the right buttons to get a rise out of him.

Zoro narrowed his eye. “You shitting with me?”

Sanji let out an amused laugh as he retracted his feet from the bed. “I’m trying to talk dirty with you, Mosshead. Figured that you could learn a thing or two. But, of course, a chaste samurai like you would say something so unromantic like that.”

Sanji rolled his eyes dramatically as he put his hands inside the pockets of his winter coat, about to stand on his feet when a firm hand gripped his shoulder and pushed him against the mattress, strongly and commandingly enough to send him on his back but with a certain care to it that baffled Sanji for a moment.

The swordsman’s massive built hovered him, his knees digging the mattress alongside his hips and trapping him between muscled thighs. Zoro’s eyebrows were pulled downwards, a clear sign that he was fucking pissed, but there was a dangerous smirk playing on his lips, hooking the corners of his mouth upwards, and Sanji just had to _swallow_ because of that.

“O-Oi, I still need to bake Kaitarou’s cake. Off, you caveman,” Sanji protested but his cries fell on deaf ears.

Zoro’s smirk was clear on its message: _You started this._

Fuck.

“I meditate to clear my mind off erotic thoughts. A swordsman doesn’t need troublesome things like sexual cravings or lust,” Zoro began, “but you must know that I’m not chaste, Shitty Cook. Especially when you’re involved.”

Zoro leaned down slowly to place a kiss under Sanji’s ear, his fingers finding the first button of his winter coat and teasingly flicking it open. “I have a strong mind, but I’m still a man, Cook.”

Sanji’s breath hitched in his throat when he felt all the buttons of his coat slid from their slits. “The pent-up frustration is sometimes hard to deal with.” Sanji gasped in a shuddering breath when he felt the man’s cold fingertips snaking under the hem of his shirt. “And sometimes, I just lose it.”

Zoro’s lips went down his neck, the tip of his tongue darting out experimentally but still earning him a quiet moan from the blond. He smiled against that white skin. “You know what I always do when times get rough?”

Sanji’s fingers curled on the covers when he felt Zoro’s breaths on his throat. The man kissed his Adam’s apple, pressing his lips against his skin and trailing wet kisses up to his chin, ghosting just over his lips teasingly and waiting for Sanji to break and beg for it. Fuck that. Sanji wouldn’t _beg_. Not in a million years.

The blond felt Zoro’s tongue licking his lower lip slowly, drawing out a long breathy curse from deep inside his throat. Zoro’s thumb was under his left pectoral, rubbing teasing circles on his skin and causing a shudder to run down his back.

“Do you know what I do, huh, Cook?” The swordsman’s low and breathy voice was beside his ear, sounding so seductive and goddamn sultry that Sanji had to take a sharp intake of breath to steady himself.

The gentle contact of Zoro’s lips against his ear tickled Sanji, and when the swordsman spoke, he finally lost it.

“I masturbate,” the swordsman whispered, the words sounding so sensual and sinful like a dark secret clawing Sanji’s heart out.

Zoro smirked when those words drew out a long moan from Sanji’s throat, the blond’s hands flying on his back and gripping the black coat tightly, pulling at them like he was clinging for his life, desperately wishing that it was tan skin instead of rough fabric.

“Shit,” Sanji cursed breathily when Zoro’s last words went down directly between his thighs.

Pleased by the reaction, Zoro offered his lips to the blond as a reward and the latter took it hungrily, without any second thoughts or a moment to spare. Sanji just grabbed the sides of Zoro’s face and smashed their mouths together, letting their tongues play with each other, biting their way in gently and roughly when one of them denied entry for a second to catch his breath.

Zoro’s elbows were propped alongside Sanji’s torso, his knees kneeling firmly on the mattress to support his body, avoiding any of his weight to drop on Sanji’s stomach.

Then suddenly, there was a violent rocking of the ship, enough to jolt their kiss apart and send the sturdy and clamped bedposts creaking against the wooden floor. “What the fuck?” the swordsman half-groaned in annoyance.

Sanji’s eyes landed on his husband’s parted lips, wet and slick with their saliva, undoubtedly kiss-swollen. Flicking his own tongue across his bottom lip briefly, Sanji reached for Zoro’s neck and pulled him down on him again, all the while saying, “Don’t mind it.”

It was probably Luffy or someone in their crew – except his lovely ladies – who were stupid enough to cause an earthquake on their ship. They weren’t under attack; someone must have shouted something by now if they were.

Sanji was enjoying himself for fuck’s sake. Let a man enjoy a little piece of this gracious offering.

He felt Zoro smile against his lips. “Impatient, Cook?”

“Shut… up,” he breathed between kisses.

The swordsman bit his lower lip gently, initiating a groan from his mouth and causing his fingers to tangle with green locks. Hand sliding underneath his shirt, rough palm caressing his spine – it was making Sanji crazy.

The room was cold, but he felt so hot. Zoro’s heat was like a furnace against his skin, soaking him with fire and burning passion. There was a flick of tongue against the roof of his mouth and he moaned, loudly so. He was burning. He needed to get the fire out of his system or–

The door banged open.

Both pirates froze and it was Zoro’s head that was the first one to whip around.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Sanji’s heart dropped. “Oi, Marimo! Get–”

The little kid ran towards them quickly and clutched his hands on the swordsman’s black coat. “Uncle Luffy caught a giant fish! You have to see it!” He pulled at his father’s coat eagerly, urging him to follow him but the swordsman remained unmoving on top of the blond whose face was now the deepest shade of red that one could ever see in his lifetime.

“Can it wait?” Zoro asked with a sigh.

“Marimo!”

“No!” Kaitarou turned around and tried to pull the swordsman off the bed, grasping the coat with both hands over his shoulder and his feet sliding against the floor as he tried to take a few steps forward. “Daddy can love Papa later! You have to see the fish first!”

The swordsman groaned in defeat as his head flopped down the mattress beside the blond’s. Sanji couldn’t help but laugh and just patted the swordsman’s back to console him. “Come on, stupid Mosshead. Your son wanna show you something.”

He heard him sigh heavily. “Your kid’s a pain in the ass.”

Sanji chuckled. “I’ll give you two bottles of expensive sake tonight at the party.”

Zoro’s head snapped back up to look at him closely in the eye. “Really?” he said suddenly, excitement and appreciation evident in his grey eye.

Rolling his eyes at his husband, Sanji bridged the small gap between them and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Really. Now, off.”

The swordsman grinned at him in triumph and afterwards rolled himself off the bed. The sudden movement made Kaitarou stumble on the floor, his forehead hitting the wooden floor with a thump. “Ouch,” the kid whimpered slightly as he rubbed the soreness on his forehead.

Giving out a brief chuckle, Zoro walked behind his son and lifted him up in the air, the kid gasping in surprise as his father placed him upon his shoulders. “Up, you little tiger.”

Kaitarou smiled and grabbed on the swordsman’s hair, the slight redness on his forehead forgotten as he listened to his father chuckling on their way out.

Sanji shook his head, smiling as he proceeded to button his winter coat again. That was the first time their son walked in on them. It was fortunate that things didn’t get _too_ heated up or else the kid would’ve been traumatized for seeing his two fathers going at it like goddamn rabbits.

Fuck, he felt like he just had a mini-heart attack back there.

Scratching his head and wincing a bit because of what happened, Sanji thought that Franky’s couple room wasn’t really such a bad idea after all.

* * *

 

The Sunny was in chaos.

Boisterous laughters, pirates dancing and drinking the light out of them. The party kept the people in the ship in high spirits, the merriment continuing on even until past midnight. The huge birthday cake which Sanji made for Kaitarou was delicious – heavenly, one might say – and the pirates stuff their faces with food up until their stomachs could no longer churn.

Kaitarou was sticking close to Zoro all day, maintaining a close distance with his father and sometimes grabbing his hand or gripping his black coat as if afraid that the swordsman would disappear any moment.

Sanji was fucking jealous. He knew that Zoro sometimes caught him rolling his eyes at him whenever Kaitarou was giving him any special attention. And every time their gazes met, the swordsman would just cock his eyebrow and flash him a smug smirk which would definitely irk Sanji to the moon and back.

The swordsman was being his usual asshole self. Sanji decided to let it go since Kaitarou needed this kind of assurance from Zoro, that the man was _here_ and wouldn’t leave him alone again.

The tides turned though when Bepo came. Kaitarou could just _not_ stay away from him. The big-ass bear was troubled at first, of course, but he eventually felt at ease with the little kid throughout the night, carrying him on his shoulders which Kaitarou had totally enjoyed.

After giving Zoro his promised two bottles of sake, Sanji made his way back to the galley to prepare his letter for Zeff. Nami said that they would dock on a nearby island tomorrow morning, their last stopover for replenishing their supplies before they sailed towards the Moon Cape, the secret base of the Straw Hat Gland Fleet.

Sanji was hoping to find a post office on that island; he still had to tell Zeff about his marriage with the Marimo. His last letter was more than a month ago, when Zeff requested for a picture of his son. He was kind of expecting for his old man to write back. Well, not that he would admit it to anybody. But if the old man really _did_ write back in response to Sanji’s letter, then Zeff’s mail would probably arrive any day now.

Sitting on the chair beside the dining table, Sanji proceeded to write on the blank paper with his quill. He messed up a few times, crumpling the paper every time he felt that his letter was too damn sappy or unnatural. He was a bit worried. He didn’t know if his father would throw a fit when he knew that his little eggplant had married someone without his consent.

Zeff would’ve just probably given him a grumpy snarl, or a nonchalant shrug, making him think that he didn’t fucking care because that was just how he was – stubborn. But Sanji wanted to know what his old man _really_ thought about him and Zoro, about him having a son. Zeff might be a tough nut to crack, but he was still his _father_ , and Sanji most definitely cared about what he thought.

Sanji stared at the photograph in his hand that was taken earlier this evening by Usopp. In the picture, Kaitarou was sitting between him and Zoro. Sanji was carrying Kaitarou in his arms, the kid eating a slice of his delicious cake and grinning widely at the camera. Sanji’s face was terrible though. His eyebrows were pulled together angrily and his mouth was open, scolding his idiotic captain as Luffy’s outstretched hand tried to steal Kaitarou’s cake on his plate.

Zoro had his hand on top Kaitarou’s head and was grinning stupidly at the camera as his other hand held Sanji’s sake high up in the air. The picture was a mess, but Sanji couldn’t help feeling the warm tug in his heart. It was their first family picture and he thought of asking Usopp to make another copy of it for safekeeping.

There was another photograph – a picture of him and Zoro standing under the magnificent flower arch on their wedding day, both holding glasses of red wine and smiling at the camera as they maintained an intimate distance with each other.

The blond’s lips curved up and his heart skipped a beat. He should probably ask Usopp to make a copy of this one, too.

After half an hour, Sanji slid the photographs together with the letter inside the envelope, afterwards melting the wax and affixing his seal on it. Sanji leaned back against the chair and released a long sigh, his head tipping back and his eyelids shutting down to let himself recuperate from this tiresome day.

Well, his day wasn’t close to finish though. He still had to wrap up the plates, wash them, store leftovers and–

 The galley door creaked open, and Nami, Robin and Brook came in with plates balanced on their hands. Sanji’s back straightened when he saw his lovely angels carrying those heavy plates. “Nami-san, Robin-chan–”

“It’s alright, Sanji-kun,” Nami cut him off with a smile, apparently knowing what he was about to say. “Robin and I will do the dishes tonight. The others will make sure everything is cleaned up when the party ends.”

“You can rest now, Cook-san,” Robin added.

“But–” Sanji shook his head “–I can’t have you lovely ladies do my job for me.”

“Yohohoho! You and your baby should call it a night, Sanji-san. We’ll take care of things from here,” Brook answered as he placed a pile of plates on the sink.

Sanji was speechless. He couldn’t believe it. He was feeling bad for having his flowers do the dishes for him, but at the same time, he was touched by their consideration. After a while, Sora came in and offered to do the inventory for him. Sanji refused at first, not wanting for her to be troubled by the task. However, she insisted and the blond couldn’t do anything but nod.

If there was anyone in this ship whom he would trust with that kind of chore, then it would be Sora. The young lady had once owned a bakery shop, and she knew how to handle things. She’d worked side by side with Sanji for two years after all.

Sanji expressed his gratefulness to his friends for the last time before excusing himself from the galley. He slid the letter inside the pocket of his winter coat and walked down the stairs towards the bunkroom. The party was slowly dying down, with a few Heart Pirates lying asleep on Sunny’s lawn.

He saw Franky and Usopp bussing tables while Chopper and Jinbei were both busy taking leftovers. The corners of Sanji’s lips curved up when he saw Zoro leaning against a sprawled out Bepo near the deck, snoring with his arms folded over his chest and the back of his head buried against white fur.

Kaitarou was asleep on top of the bear’s belly, lying on his stomach with his arms tucked beneath the left side of his face. Bepo’s furry abdomen was rising and falling as he snored, lulling the little kid more.

Sanji bowed his head and gripped his bangs with his fingers, toying with the blond locks while hiding that silly smile still gracing his lips. His two mossheads looked so funny and stupid, but at the same time so very much endearing and precious in his eyes.

His other hand went over his stomach, the pads of his fingers stroking the barely palpable bump under two layers of clothing. “If you’re gonna be a princess, Sprout, then you can’t sleep sprawled like that like your idiotic father and adorable brother, okay?” Sanji chuckled and turned around to go inside the men’s bunkroom to sleep.

* * *

 

There was white falling from the dusky sky.

The rifle in his hand hummed in delight as his shot clearly took that seagull down. His companion patted his shoulder, a proud smile displayed on his lips before turning around to shoot more.

He jogged towards the rocky shore, finding the probable spot where the seagull fell when he shot it a few meters away. Bending down a knee and examining the dead bird lying on wet rocks, the young marine grabbed the pouch hooked around the bird’s neck, flicking the button open to find what he was looking for.

He flipped through the white materials, reading them, searching… searching. Until his eyes widened at a certain one.

Taking the whole pouch with him, the marine immediately ran towards the fort, heart beating loudly inside his chest as he finally – fucking _finally ­–_ found something useful.

He was still a trainee when the Marineford War happened, but he heard stories and rumors. A new headquarters was built on the other side of the Red Line when the great pirate Whitebeard and the notorious rookie Straw Hat Luffy attacked the old headquarters to save Portgas D. Ace six years ago. It was a big war which shook the heavens, the news about Portgas and Whitebeard’s death spreading like plague across the world. Straw Hat became missing after the war, then words about his sudden appearance in Sabaody archipelago two years after reached the New Marineford.

_“Straw Hat Luffy became stronger!”_

_“And so did his crew.”_

_“They are a threat to the world’s peace!”_

_“We need to stop them!”_

“ _Bring me their heads!”_

He breathed in deeply before opening the huge double door. He stood straight and saluted to the highest person in this island, to the highest official in the entire navy. “Fleet Admiral Sakazuki.”

The man’s basilisk-like eyes flicked towards his direction, causing a shudder to run down his spine. “What’s your name, brat?”

“Tejo, fleet admiral.”

“And what do you want?”

Tejo lowered his hand and immediately grabbed the letters inside the pouch, offering them to the official. Akainu put his newspaper down and held the letters instead, browsing through them one by one. His hand froze when a certain name caught his attention.

The name was written in a cursive handwriting, the ink a bit smudged due to water vapor and long days of travel in a claustrophobic pouch. The seal was unbroken and he felt the corner of his lips twitched up.

“I shot the mail bird coming from north-west,” Tejo explained, “I immediately ran to your office, sir, when I saw the letter.”

“Good job, young lad,” Akainu praised him. After breaking the seal, his fingers slid through the opening of the envelope to spill its contents on his desk. There was a letter… and two photographs.

His smile turned into a smirk as he read the letter. “Red Leg Zeff,” he spat out the name like poison. “That damn old man.”

His gaze then shifted to the two photographs laid on his desk, the truth behind the words written on that letter solidifying further as he took in the unbelieving reality projected by those images.

There he was. The missing Straw Hat pirate, the highlight of the recently reported political marriage fiasco with Big Mom’s son and the prince of the mythical warmonger’s kingdom from the far northern sea.

Sanji Vinsmoke.

There were rumors, the filthiest ones coming from black market rangers and underground dealers, but he had paid no attention to them before. And now, as reality was laid bare in front of him, Akainu could only smirk in amusement.

“Marriage with Roronoa Zoro.” His forefinger tapped repeatedly on the image of a little kid between the blond and the infamous pirate hunter, taking in the familiar curly eyebrows and short green hair interestingly making up the kid’s phenotype. “And a son.” He ran his tongue under his upper teeth. “With him.”

Tejo gulped silently when he saw a dangerous glint in the fleet admiral’s eyes. The large man’s gaze turned towards his direction and he tried to suppress another shudder trying to run down his back. “Brat.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Round up your friends and send a message to any nearby vice admirals and admirals patrolling the island and sailing within a three-mile radius.” There was heat radiating from Akainu’s shoulders, the molten magma unforgiving and slowly sliding down his torso as his hands balled into tight fists.

“We’re having a fleet meeting in three hours.”

-TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are chess pieces starting to move now.
> 
> If you haven't seen the art for Kaitarou's birthday, you can view it [HERE](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14135364/chapters/35283140) or reblog it [HERE](https://ladyelocin.tumblr.com/post/175672749046/happy-birthday-to-the-little-baby-moss-kaitarou).
> 
> Hi to all of my Filipino readers! (If there are any. I don't really know) *scratches head*


	10. Moon Cape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if this book will be as long or will have as many chapters as the first one. I've been writing more per chapter nowadays, exceeding my usual 3k-word updates. We'll see...

**Chapter 9**

**Moon Cape**

****

The Moon Cape was a large arch-shaped island, hidden by thick mists during the day and illuminated by moonlight at night. It was a few good nautical miles away from Wano Island, a perfect strategic location for monitoring the movements of the Beast Pirates, with the inbound or outbound vessels being recorded by the fleet watchers.

Geographically speaking, as Nami put it, the only way to reach the island was through an eternal pose given by the inhabitants of the island, the _Navirs_. The electromagnetic field around the island was so weak that it could be rendered as undetectable by a standard log pose; instead directing every ship away from it and towards an island with a stronger one. Being an independent island from the World Government, the Navirs learned how to grow their own food through agriculture, build their homes and guard towers using stones and fortify their defense with steel weapons.

They were formerly under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates, but when the crew disbanded, Kaido, Blackbeard and the other pirates continued to search for the island to gain dominion over the iron ores, mining them from quarries to forge steel swords and other weapons.

When the Navirs learned about Luffy and Ace’s relationship, the elders and the chieftain decided to support the Grand Fleet with their war against Kaido, hoping that the ruthless yonkō’s reign and oppression would come to a stop, finally freeing Wano and other islands from his hands.

The Straw Hats and the Heart Pirates arrived in the island at nightfall. Rubbing his hands together and blowing warmth on his palms, Sanji’s eyes gazed up at the crescent-shaped island. The mist was thick, almost suffocating, but the moonlight guided them towards the island, the outer edge of the arch shining under the illumination.

“I never get tired seeing this island.” Nami settled beside him, her arms resting on the railings. “It’s beautiful when it’s dark, with all those fireflies and shiny plants in the woods. But it’s a shame that majority of the people here haven’t seen the sunlight for centuries.”

“What?” Sanji asked, a bit confused.

Releasing a sigh, Nami explained, “The Navirs are hermits; well, not troglodytes. But they don’t communicate with the outside world. They patronize what is theirs. Only Roger and Whitebeard’s crews were the only ones who had set foot on this island before us. That’s how godforsaken the location of this island is.”

She pointed at the rays of moonlight passing through the clouds and mist. “See that? The moon is like a sun to the island, gracing it with tremendous amount of light in the night, making vision possible.”

_“‘The day is night; the night is day. The moon shall rise; fears at bay.’”_

Sanji and Nami’s heads turned around to the source of that smooth voice. Robin stood behind them, holding a mug of hot coffee in her hands as a shawl lay over her shoulders. “Because of the thick clouds and mists, sunlight doesn’t reach the island. For them, when the moon rises, that signals the beginning of their day. And when the moon vanishes from the clouds and the _vasiris_ , the night plants, started to glow in the woods, it’s already night for them. That’s why our moment of arrival right now is considered as somewhere between morning and afternoon, even if it’s really nighttime, globally speaking.”

When Sanji nodded, Robin continued. “The Navirs are superstitious people. They have faith in the supernatural, worshipping gods and idols.”

“You mean they’re a cult, Robin-chan?” the blond asked.

“No.” She shook her head. “More like a tribe. Indigenous people who have learned to survive since the old age. They have myths and folklores and they believed what their ancestors told them: that they lived inside the mouth of a smoking giant.”

“What the hell?” Sanji couldn’t help but release a brief laugh at that. “Are they fucking serious? Is that their explanation for the thick mists around them?”

“Crazy, right?” Nami agreed. “But don’t tell ‘em that. We have to respect their beliefs and it’s their island; we’re foreigners. They’re good people anyway.”

Nodding, Sanji said, “I understand.”

When the Sunny entered the arch, Sanji felt like sailing inside a huge tunnel, dark and silent, like even his faintest breaths could be heard and resonate inside. But then, fire torches began to light up around them, illuminating the entire passageway and blinding Sanji’s vision for a second.

_(The docks built under the Moon Cape arch)_

Roaming his eyes around, the blond saw dozens, no, hundreds of ships docked under the arch of the Moon Cape. There were pirates waving at them, cheering ‘Straw Hats!’ and ‘Mugiwara!’ like they were in a goddamn race or competition.

The navigator rolled her eyes. “These idiots. We told them not to do this every time we return.”

Robin chuckled. “Well, they look happy and well at least.”

“Luffy-senpai!”

Luffy’s head turned around and when he saw that long green-haired fella standing by the docks, he instantly smiled. “Oh! Barto!”

“I’m glad for your safe return!”

“Me too! How’re things going?” the captain asked as he jumped off the ship, slippers landing agilely on the wooden dock.

“The Navirs are helping us forge steel blades right now. The armory’s sufficiently equipped with swords, spears and battle axes. The guard towers and the fleet watchers reported no suspicious movements lately after Kaido attacked our fleet.”

“How’s the western fleet?” Nami asked as she walked down the ramp.

“Cavendish managed to help them and minimize the damage, but–”  Bartolomeo’s eyes went downcast  “–there were still heavy casualties, Nami-senpai.” He looked at her brown eyes. “We lost twenty-four good ships and about two hundred and fifty men.”

Nami closed her eyes and felt the gravity of the situation settle inside her chest. It was a goddamn disaster. Fuck.

“Orlumbus and the other captains are asking for a meeting once you arrived,” Bartolomeo informed them.

“Right.” Nami sighed and looked at Luffy. “Shall we go, captain?”

The rubber captain crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah. Call the others. I’m going ahead.”

* * *

 

Sanji’s hand stroked through short spiky green hair, gently caressing the strands between his fingers and feeling a small smile tug the corners of his lips. Kaitarou mumbled something in his sleep and the blond’s eyes softened as he felt his chest suddenly fill up with cotton.

“You’ll be with him while Zoro and I are gone?” he asked, blue eyes lifting up and meeting emerald ones.

Sora nodded. “I’ll stay with him, Sanji-san, until you come back.”

“Thank you, Sora-chan.” Sanji offered a smile.

“You know I think of Kaitarou as my baby brother.” Raising the blanket towards the kid’s chest to tuck him in, the teenager replied, “I’m always happy to be with him.”

Sanji’s heart melted and he leaned forward to grab the back of Sora’s head, pulling her close as his lips pressed tenderly against her forehead. “And you’ll always be like a sister to me,” the blond spoke before pulling back.

Sora was a kind-hearted girl, and even though Sanji had this weird take on chivalry towards women, he still knew how to set boundaries with the right people. He had affection for Reiju as his sister, but Sanji wasn’t sure if what he was feeling for her was enough to be called as familial love. He hadn’t felt that kind of emotion towards his father and siblings ever since his mother died – or maybe, he did at some point, because he was young and lonely and in dire need to be _connected_ with someone, but the painful memories were too strong to conceal the unbidden truths. His father and brothers never loved him; perhaps, Reiju did. But they were separated for a very long time to even feel that kind of bond towards each other.

Throughout the years, Sanji learned that a family was not about being blood-related, but sharing a strong bond with people who supported him and cared for him, helping him grow as a person and accepting him for who he really was, packaged with all his perfections and flaws, and never leaving him behind despite great odds.

Zeff proved him that. His crew proved him that, too. And Sanji was sure as hell that Sora, Ranport and Vallo fell to the same category as well.

“I’ll be back in a few. Make sure to bar the door.” After bidding her farewell and waiting outside the men’s bunk for a while to hear the sound of the bolt sliding through and locking in place, Sanji took in a deep breath and shove his hands down his front pockets, watching his step as he walked down the ramp towards the dock.

Halfway through, Sanji’s eyes caught the image of his lover waiting for him at the bottom of the ramp. His lips instantly curved up to a lopsided smile. “Miss me?” he teased as his soles hit the wooden dock.

Zoro snorted. “You wish, idiot-cook. I’m being a Samaritan here and thinking about your well-being; you know, getting lost in this big island.”

When the swordsman flashed him a mocking grin, Sanji returned the favor by rolling his eyes at him as they walked. “Says the guy who gets lost in a straight line. And don’t give me that bullshit, dumbass. Your four years of stay here means nothing ‘cause I know you _still_ get lost in this goddamn island.” Now, it was Sanji’s turn to smirk.

The swordsman’s eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t get lost.”

“Oh, yeah? Which way did we just turn, huh, genius? Left or right?” the blond challenged, that teasing grin still displayed on his lips.

Zoro halted on his steps for a moment, head turning around and looking like the living definition of ‘lost.’ “We went right,” Sanji finally answered, “I just saw Robin-chan walking down this path and turning at the corner over there.” The blond cocked an eyebrow. “Four years, right?”

The perpetual scowl on Zoro’s face deepened when he saw the smug look on his husband’s face. He hated Sanji’s guts; most of the time, he wanted to cut the fucking bastard into half for being an effective conduit for all the annoying stuff in the universe. He was an irritating, arrogant piece of–

“Come on, Marimo. Knock that scowl off your face.” Sanji leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. “You’ll grow ugly wrinkles.” The blond smirked at him before grabbing his hand to lead the way towards the meeting place.

And Zoro let himself be dragged away. Goddamn. He hated Sanji; yet he loved him so much it was fucking difficult to stay pissed at him.

“I can walk fine on my own, ero-cook,” he replied defiantly, just for the sole purpose of being stubborn because fuck, that was who he was and he wouldn’t, not in a million years, give the blond an easy win over anything.

“No, you can’t. You’ll get lost,” the blond said and Zoro was sure that he caught a glimpse of smile on that handsome face for a second.

Zoro mumbled something in return, his frown still in place but lacking a real edge to it that Sanji’s smile just grew wider.

 _Idiot_ , he thought. _You really like making things difficult, right, Marimo?_

 

* * *

 

Sanji’s eyes wandered around the stone pavilion. There were images carved on the beams: heads of different animals like monkey, rhino, bear, tiger and eagle. The pillars were stacked stones of idol statues, creating the six sturdy columns which supported the entire pavilion.

Lit torches were hung against the pillars for illumination, but what amazed Sanji the most was the circular opening on the roof of the pavilion which allowed the moonlight to pass through and grace the stone table at the middle with its majestic glow.

A large map was laid on the rectangular stone table, one which was undoubtedly drawn by Nami. It was intricately crafted, with the grids carefully lined out, every island, land form and waterway labeled and drawn accordingly. That was the map which Nami was desperately trying to finish on their way here.

The navigator was filling in the fleet captains about the geographical and topographical description of the islands, as well as the different forms of water surrounding and passing through them. “As we all know, the altitude of Wano Island is higher than most islands and probably the only way to reach its shores is by letting our ships sail against the current of the waterfalls like koi. And even if we manage to land safely on top–” Nami pointed at the drawn arches on the map “–the island is still surrounded by tall mountains, acting as effective barriers against typhoons and invaders. That’s how Wano managed to keep itself secluded all these years, free from any invasion aside from Kaido’s conquest. The island has a natural strategic location for war.”

_(Wano Kuni's Waterfall | Credit: Chapter 910 of One Piece | Eiichiro Oda)_

__

“Then how can we infiltrate the island?” Cavendish asked, troubled. “After a long time of battle, we finally have a detailed map of Wano. We can’t just let our efforts go to waste. We _have_ to take this to our advantage.”

“Cavendish is right,” Don Sai agreed, “I can take my ships up that pain-in-the-ass waterfall.”

“No,” Robin opposed. “Our fleet watchers reported about the garrisons stationed near the waterfalls. And that only means one thing: Kaido knows that some of us are bold enough to face him head-on and sail through the most obvious route up the island. Confronting the enemy in their own territory means heavy casualties and inevitable deaths. We can’t take the risk.”

“Robiland’s correct,” Leo, the dwarf, seconded. “If we want to infiltrate the island, we need to be stealthy about it.”

“How about you and your subordinates go? You’re small and essentially inconspicuous at night. You have the best chance of sneaking in successfully in the island,” Ideo suggested.

“We can try flying up the waterfall using our beetles, but it’s still too dangerous to march directly in front of the enemy,” Leo explained, “there must some kind of secret passageway or something.”

“I believe there is.”

All of the heads in the pavilion turned towards the man sitting on a wooden chair ornamented with deer horns and animal skulls. He was tan-skinned and bare-chested, wearing only a hand-loomed loincloth woven with Celtic-like designs. There was a headdress resting on top of his head, embroidered with zigzag lines and tufted with long feathers. There was a small skull of a long-beaked bird proudly displayed on the band around his head, wearing it like a symbol of power or authority of sorts.

Sanji’s gaze lowered down on the man’s thick chest. He couldn’t miss the thin and heavy lines of blank ink tattooed all over his chest, the pattern continuing to his shoulders and extending all the way down to his arms, covering them with nothing but intricate designs which Sanji saw for the first time in his life.

The Navir’s _datu_ or chieftain, _Isagani_ , walked towards the stone table and pointed at a certain point on the map. “There’s a village in the easternmost side,” the man said with a thick accent which Sanji couldn’t place, “when I was flying above the plains, I saw long stretches of canals which probably lead to the drainage system of the island. If such things exist, then the water flowing from the canals eventually ends up in the sea.”

“Which means that there’s an opening somewhere in the island that directly leads to the sea,” Nami concluded and she couldn’t hide the smile starting to form on her lips. “And we can access it secretly.”

Nodding, the chieftain said, “That’s exactly what I’m thinking of.”

There were a few more words exchanged after that proposal but Sanji couldn’t help but wonder at the chieftain’s words: _When I was flying above the plains._

“Oi, Marimo.”

“Ah?”

“What does the chieftain mean when he said ‘when I was flying above the plains?’” Sanji asked.

Zoro rested his arm on his swords’ hilt. “That guy has a Devil’s Fruit ability. A Zoan type. Makes him a big-ass bird. An eagle or something like that.”

“Oh.” Sanji’s eyes shifted back towards the chieftain. He was a bit young to be the leader of his tribe, probably in his late twenties or early thirties. Sanji read some books about indigenous people: elders running the tribe, tribesmen doing all those ritual things and the people inheriting jaw-slacking beliefs. He never thought that he would actually be allies with astonishing people like the Navirs in real life. It was more like a fantasy story than a non-fictional one.

But then again, this was the Grand Line, where the weirdest and most unexpected things happen in a blink of an eye.

“Ah, Luffy-senpai!” Bartolomeo interjected. “Our fleet watchers reported to me about Wano’s current economic crisis. The food’s getting scarce at this time of war and they’re now sending ships towards this island–” he pointed a finger towards an island a few miles north of Wano “–to import wheat, corn and other necessities.”

“That’s great!” Orlumbus exclaimed. “Let’s just destroy those ships and starve the bastards out!” He smirked. “Even the mightiest yonkō will surrender after a few months of eating nothing but dust.”

The other captains looked skeptical with the idea but they could see the advantage of doing that strategy. Cutting the food supply and starving out the enemies was the best way to raise the white flag.

“It might work,” Hajrudin said as his hand stroked his beard in contemplation, “it’s a basic strategy in war but it almost never fails.”

“No one is starving anyone.”

Silence fell inside the pavilion, hanging thick above their heads like the mists around the island. All pairs of eyes trained towards the source of that low voice. Sanji’s head was lowered and there was this dark glint in his eyes which could make an average person cower in fear.

Sanji walked towards the table, the soles of his shoes thumping against the stone floor like heavy heartbeats. Laying his hands flat on top of the table, Sanji insisted in a low voice. “No one is gonna starve. Enemies or not.”

“Who do you think you are?” Orlumbus argued with a nasty scowl. “You’ve been gone away for years. You don’t know how things work here.”

Sanji’s glare darted towards his direction. “No one. Is going. To starve.” Sanji punctuated every word to make the message sink in deeper. No one was going to starve, not on his watch. Ever.

Orlumbus’ eyebrows twitched in annoyance. Taking a few steps towards the raging blond, the Yonta Maria Grand Fleet admiral glanced down at Sanji like he was a fucking kid playing games on a war table. “The western fleet is _my_ fleet. Two hundred and fifty of my men died in that battle. Two hundred and fifty _good_ men.” His fists clenched. “You don’t know how it feels like to fail my comrades. To watch them _die_ in front of my eyes. That’s why I will do anything to avenge their deaths, in one way or another.”

Sanji regarded him seriously for a moment, eye to eye, weighing the man’s resolve, and when he found that the pirate wouldn’t sway the slightest bit, he spoke, “Your men died with honor. For warriors, there’s nothing more honorable than die fighting in a battlefield, with a sword clasped tightly in their hands until their last dying breaths. But starving our enemies until they’re nothing but skin and bones?” Sanji let out a brief, disbelieving laugh. “There’s nothing honorable in that. That’s nothing but pure cowardice and cruelty–”

“THIS. IS. _WAR_.” Orlumbus’ voice boomed like thunder inside the pavilion, sending sparks of shivers down Nami, Usopp and Chopper’s spine and making the other pirates speechless and uncomfortable in their spots.

But Sanji held his ground, his glare intensifying at the man’s bold declaration. Usopp’s gaze immediately turned towards the swordsman who was standing there wordlessly near a stone pillar. The sharpshooter could see the rigidity of his nakama’s shoulders, the hard set of his jaw and the deep crease between his eyebrows. Zoro was staring intently at Sanji and Orlumbus; his hand was clasped around Wado’s sheath and his thumb was already flicked against the guard of the katana, revealing an inch of sharp blade that signified his intention of unsheathing the deadly weapon at once when the situation called for it.

With a snarl, Orlumbus bent his head down to intimidate the blond. “There’s no place for honor and shit like that. There’s no halfway in this shitty hellhole. There’s only a winner or a loser. And in case you’re not getting the idea, all of us here want to belong to the former and spit on the latter. There’s no time for acting like a Good Samaritan, boy. You’ve hidden yourself long enough to even know the prospects of this war. You know nothing about the things we’ve been through together without you.”

Sanji’s hands on the table trembled in rage, his nails scratching against the stone and the veins at the back of his hands popping out in restrained anger. “Then you know nothing how it was like to eat nothing but _dust_. How your body betrayed you and ate you from the inside out. You will never know what it feels like until you’re the one on that miserable spot.”

Sanji swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to ignore the stinging sensation behind his eyes. He turned on his heel and left the pavilion without another word, letting his last words hang around the pirates in deafening silence.

Nami’s eyes shut down as a breath she never knew she was holding was released from her mouth. Orlumbus’ plan was great, a basic strategy that could win them this war. It was practically a dirty trick, but an effective one in crucial times like this. But Sanji had a point, too. The blond wouldn’t let anyone starve, enemy or not. She knew how much trauma that rock starvation experience had caused him, and it would be like living through that nightmare all over again as he watched other people live through the same hell as he did many years ago.

Luffy was silent – an unexpected reaction coming from the usually energetic and idiotic Straw Hat captain. Nami could see the troubled look on his face, the way his eyebrows were drawn together in concentration as if weighing the different options laid in front of him by Orlumbus and Sanji. He had to think things through seriously and carefully, because as the _Father_ of this Grand Fleet, every word that would come out of his mouth would be final and absolute. An irrevocable order that should be followed by his _Sons._

Zoro left as well after Sanji walked out, and Nami prayed to the gods above that the swordsman wouldn’t get lost in an important time like this.

“Oh man, this is hard.” Luffy scratched the back of his head, grimacing as he tried to rummage his brain for an answer. “I don’t think I can come up with a decision right now. How about we adjourn the meeting and continue this tomorrow?”

Orlumbus was about to protest when Bartolomeo cut him off. “Ah, you’re right, Luffy-senpai! The Straw Hats must be tired after a long journey. You should rest for now. Trafalgar Law’s on his way to Sapurai Island to gather some information. He should be here by tomorrow.”

“Awesome!” Luffy grinned and put his hat back on his head. “I’m gonna go eat some meat and then have a good night’s sleep!”

The captain ran off towards the direction of the kitchen and the Straw Hats and the other captains could only sigh and shake their heads in defeat.

* * *

 

Sanji barely made it to the sink before his stomach started to protest and hurl out the contents of his dinner. He turned the faucet on and let the running water wash the evidence down the drain. A few more heavy breaths before he felt a new wave of nausea hit him, but this time, harder and more intense than the last one and he puked again, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edge of the counter tightly.

He thought he wouldn’t make it to the galley; just pass out somewhere halfway down the road but luckily, he didn’t. He walked as fast as he could, knowing that Zoro would follow him shortly after his leave. He wanted to be alone right now. To think about things on his own. To _bury_ those devastating memories trying to break through the surface again. The hunger. The pain. The claws inside his stomach. Everything. They were all so scary. Sanji was afraid. He was goddamn afraid of those things ever happening to him again, or to other people–

“Cook?”

Sanji felt a large warm hand on his back. After spewing his guts out, the blond gurgled with water to eliminate the vile taste in his mouth. Turning off the faucet, Sanji listened to his heartbeat for a while, willing his heart to calm down and for the nasty thoughts to go away.

“Hey.”

Zoro’s hands went on his shoulders and he flipped Sanji’s body towards him gently. The blond looked pale; his eyebrows were furrowed due to the hailstorm of emotions currently residing inside his chest. Zoro felt a stab of pain in his heart when he saw the distressed look of his lover. It was as if the pain Sanji was going through right now was a reflection of his own. And he couldn’t let Sanji feel so down like this. He couldn’t bare it. He just couldn’t.

“Wanna talk to me?” Zoro asked carefully. When the blond shook his head, he nodded. “Okay.” The swordsman wrapped his arms around him, placing a comforting hand against the back of Sanji’s head.

Zoro didn’t talk, not until the blond wanted him to. He knew Sanji wanted a quiet time for himself after what happened, but he couldn’t just leave the cook alone with all the despairing thoughts currently running through his mind. Even if Sanji wouldn’t admit it out loud, deep down inside, he knew that he needed someone to lean on in times like this; someone who didn’t ask questions and someone who didn’t try to get the words out of his mouth. Just someone to hold him quietly like this. To hold him firmly so that he wouldn’t crumble down in his own misery.

And Zoro wanted to be that _someone_ for Sanji. Now and forever.

After a few minutes, the swordsman felt the cook’s arms wrapping around his body. _A good sign_ , he thought.

“You don’t have to come here,” Sanji spoke on his shoulder, his voice muffled because of his coat.

“I can do what I want.”

He heard the blond chuckle briefly. “Of course. You’re a shithead.”

Zoro hummed. “Maybe, I am.”

The swordsman felt his husband smile against his shoulder and that wonderful reaction caused his own lips to curve up slowly. After a few moments of silence, Zoro inquired, “You okay?”

“Hm.” Sanji pulled away slightly just enough to look his lover in the eye, arms still loosely wrapped around his body. “Felt nauseous a while ago so I threw up.”

“Pregnancy thing?” Zoro pressed on, wanting to make sure that everything was alright.

“Yeah. Think so.”

“Want me to call Chopper?”

“Nah. I’m feeling fine now.”

“Sure?”

Sanji snorted. “Yeah. I’m sure. What’s this, an interrogation?”

Zoro grinned as he gazed lovingly at his blond. “Yeah. I’m interrogating my stubborn husband.”

“Well, you’re shitty at it, Mosshead.” The cook smiled and pressed a firm kiss on the swordsman’s mouth. When he pulled back, he said, “Sorry. Must’ve tasted like vomit.”

“Nah.” Zoro licked his lower lip. “S’fine.”

Heat crept up on Sanji’s cheek and his arms went from Zoro’s waist up to his neck, his wrists resting comfortably at his lover’s nape. The swordsman’s hands fell down on Sanji’s hips to tug him closer. And when the blond closed his eyes and just let their foreheads touch in silence, Zoro felt his heart beat loudly inside his chest.

He could feel Sanji’s breaths against his face, the soft brushes of blond locks against his cheek and his body heat radiating through his skin. They were moving in circles, slowly and languidly. Like a slow dance of their own. With just each other’s presence to hold on to; with only their heartbeats to hear. Enough to shut the whole world out, and see, hear, smell, taste and touch nothing but one another.

“Let’s stay like this for a while,” Sanji found himself saying before he could stop the truthful words from coming out.

“Okay,” the swordsman replied as his thumbs brushed his husband’s hip bones.

Sanji released a pleased sound and he angled his head to claim the swordsman’s lips in a slow and deep kiss. The kiss lasted for a whole minute or two before Zoro pulled back with a teasing bite on Sanji’s lower lip. “Let’s go.”

“Where?” Sanji asked breathily as he returned the favor.

Zoro kissed him firmly once again on the mouth before saying, “I want to show you something.”

-TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **(1) The Navirs are inspired by the indigenous people in the Philippines.**  
>  **(2) _Isagani_ = means "bountiful harvest"**  
>  **(3) _Datu_ = means "chieftain"**  
> 
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> [Photo source](https://www.pinterest.ph/tlcgems131128/zz-philippines/?lp=true)
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> [Photo source](https://www.pinterest.ph/juliuscesar103/philippine-indigenous-people/?lp=true)  
> 


	11. The Growing Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro finally opened up to Sanji;  
> Kaitarou and his burning pride.

**Chapter 10: The Growing Flame**

 

If there was a word that Sanji could use to describe the place where Zoro took him, then it would be ‘majestic _.’_

Unsurprisingly to his part, it took them quite longer to arrive on this place, with a few Zoro-maneuvering and frustrated complaints along the journey. But it was worth the wait. Damn, it really was.

Sanji’s eyes roamed around, taking in the abundance of the glowing succulent plants scattered around him, each of which radiating different colors in different shades and hues, the tall canopy of trees shielding and bathing them under a blanket of darkness, enhancing their luminescence even more. But what really caught Sanji’s attention was the  _waterfall._

In the midst of darkness, the water cascading down from the steep rocky slope was miraculously  _glowing_ sapphire blue. Sanji felt a warm tug in his heart at the sight, briefly blinding him into believing that it was All Blue in the flesh – there, right in front of him.

Hearing a low voice whisper beside his ear, Sanji reflexively snapped his jaw shut. Shit, he didn’t even know he was gawking like an idiot in the first place. “What d’you think?” Zoro asked.

“I–I… uh…” After a few failed attempts of finding his speech, Sanji cleared his throat and confessed, “It’s wonderful.”

Zoro chuckled. “Figures.” Holding Sanji’s hand, the swordsman led the blond towards the stream and Sanji felt his heart beat in anticipation. After kicking off their boots and shoes, Zoro stepped into the water first, submerging half of his legs. However, after a few seconds of gazing down at the wobbly reflection of his feet, the swordsman’s eyebrows furrowed and he said, “It’s a bit cold.”

“I can handle cold, idiot,” Sanji responded with a roll of his eyes.

Zoro lifted his gaze up to Sanji, his expression visibly telling the blond what a worrywart he had become after learning of his pregnancy. “Won’t the baby get cold?”

“I will kick your ass if you don’t move the fuck away right this very instant.”

Sanji saw his husband’s eyebrow twitched in irritation. Zoro seemed to consider the threat for a moment, but one look at the blond’s face told him that the stubborn idiot wouldn’t let him live this one down. Thus, sighing and mumbling ‘asshole’ to his lover, Zoro stepped aside and guided Sanji into the water, never once letting go of his hand in case he slipped on the rocks or stepped on a weird creature that could jolt him shitless.

He distinctly remember Chopper talking about ‘falling over’ and ‘traumatic knocks’ as being a no-no on Sanji’s part. So he couldn’t risk it by letting his lover gallivant through the waters unsupervised, with all those slippery rocks threatening to–

“You’re being paranoid, Marimo. I can take care of myself.”

Give it to Sanji to see through his mind. Damn.

“I’m not paranoid,” Zoro denied. “Just taking precautions.”

“Is there a difference?” the blond teased as a smirk grew slowly on his lips.

Zoro rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

Sanji chuckled and flexed his toes playfully underwater, feeling its coolness and freshness seeping through the skin of his feet. He had always liked water; it was like an extension of his being. After a comfortable silence that settled between them, he finally said, “You know you’re annoying right now, right?”

Zoro snorted. “Well, that’s brand new information,” he said sarcastically.

“You don’t have to fuss over me all the time.”

“I don’t fucking  _fuss_ over you!” Zoro denied hotly as a red hue appeared on his cheeks. “You’re just an ungrateful, stubborn ass who doesn’t appreciate what I do for you.”

Sanji’s eyebrows pulled together. “Oi, Marimo. The fuck are you talking about? I do appreciate everything you do for me.”

“Yeah? Well, it doesn’t seem like it.” Zoro turned his head away.

Sanji felt his husband’s hand tighten around his. With the familiar kind of heaviness inside his chest every time Zoro felt distant around him, Sanji stepped in front of him and turned his head back to him. “Hey,” he began as his fingers brushed Zoro’s chin. The swordsman was looking at the space between their chests, his eyebrows knotted with a certain kind of heavy emotion that made Sanji’s heart squeeze painfully.

“Are you mad?” he asked carefully.

After a few seconds of silence, Zoro answered, “No.”

“I’m afraid I don’t believe you.”

Zoro lifted his eye up to meet his, and when it did, Sanji was slightly taken aback by the brewing emotion radiating off his ashen orb. “I’m… frustrated.” Zoro took Sanji’s hand on his chin and held it as well, stroking the blond’s fingertips with his thumb as he said, “I sometimes feel that I overreact to some things – things that I would normally give no fuck about. But everything’s different now. I… worry for you – a lot – and it sucks because it makes you look weak. It makes you  _feel_ that you’re weak and I really hate that. I know it’s annoying for you because if I were in your shoes, I would probably feel the same if someone’s always breathing down my neck.”

Zoro’s hands tightened on Sanji’s. “I’m frustrated,” he repeated, “I don’t want to give you discomfort but I still want to keep close to you. This is my first time, so I don’t want to fuck things up.”

Sanji didn’t know what to say. Zoro was telling him that it was his first time seeing Sanji conceive – something which he agonizingly missed a few years ago – and he didn’t want to do anything wrong. He didn’t want to make Sanji feel that he was like a fragile kid that was being taken care of, because he was anything but. Yet, Zoro wanted to help him with the little things: guide him on his step, carry heavy things for him and be the one to worry for him whenever Sanji selflessly put others first before himself. Zoro disliked doing the latter, because Sanji knew that he was the last person he would worry about, especially in a fight.

Nevertheless, here Zoro was, torn between what he wanted to and should not do. He was frustrated, because worrying for Sanji to a great extent like this was not like him  _at all_. It was causing troubles for the blond and the last thing he wanted was to cause him stress that could affect their unborn child. He was annoyed at himself for treating Sanji like fine china, but he couldn’t help it. Fuck. He practically didn’t know where to put himself right now.

“Zoro.” Sanji placed his palm against the man’s cheek. “I understand.”

And he did. The swordsman was going out of his way to confess his feelings to Sanji, to lay his troubles bear in front of him – once again trusting him to cradle and take care of his burden and insecurities, giving him a private pass inside the deepest corners of Zoro’s soul.

The trust was so  _deep_  that it made Sanji’s chest tighten a little bit – wondering if he was strong enough to carry the brave man’s troubles and afflictions.

Zoro tried to open his mouth but Sanji cut him off by saying, “You don’t have to say anything. I understand.”

Shoulders slacking in relief, Zoro closed his eye and pressed his cheek further into the warmth that was Sanji’s hand. He released a soft sigh before placing a gentle kiss against his husband’s palm.

The gesture made Sanji’s face flush and his heart to skip a beat. Feeling the warm flutters inside his stomach, Sanji leaned forward to give Zoro a kiss on his forehead. He heard the man’s content sigh again, his hand squeezing the blond’s in response to his display of affection.

Zoro let his head fall upon his husband’s shoulder, his arms circling around his waist and pulling him into a possessive embrace.

Sanji chuckled and stroked Zoro’s short green stands between his fingers. “You’re a big baby, do you know that, Marimo?”

“Am  not,” the man denied, voice muffled on Sanji’s shirt.

Sometimes, Sanji felt like a mother to him. Shit, that sounded wrong. But mothers take care of their children and this big-ass green baby pressing his face against his shoulder like a kicked puppy was making it hard for him to think that he was not a parent figure to Zoro.

He could cook, do laundry and clean things up – all of which that a mother or father did for their kids. And it was evident that those skills were not found, unfortunately, on Zoro’s part. Sanji sometimes wondered how this brute managed to survive before when he was still wandering around the East Blue as a pirate hunter. Did he eat enough? Bathe at least twice a week? Where did he sleep? What the hell did he do before Sanji met him in the Baratie?

After spending a few more minutes into the waterfall, both pirates decided to go back to the ship. Sanji led the walk back, gripping Zoro’s hand tightly as to not let the man wander off by himself. Zoro bitched about it, of course, but he liked holding Sanji’s hand so he really didn’t make an effort to brush him off. Sanji knew this and laughed by himself secretly as they traversed the glowing woods.

“Oh, thank God!”

It was the first thing that Nami said when the two stepped out of a line of bushes. There was a commotion and people looked frantic as they pointed towards various directions, torches in hand and voices being thrown back forth.

“We were looking everywhere for you two!” Usopp added, skin slicked and forehead beaded with sweat. It was as if the sharpshooter ran a fucking mile and just stopped a second ago to catch his breath. What the fuck was going on?

“What’s all this? Are we under attack?” Sanji asked in confusion.

He saw Nami’s face fell, a sad and guilty expression dawning on her features before she bit her lower lip and tried her hardest to keep a steady gaze on Sanji. “Kaitarou’s missing.”

“WHAT?!” Sanji’s voice rose up, louder than anyone’s in the area. Who would take his son? And why?

Zoro’s eye widened as the muscles on his jaws tightened, his hands curling into fists and shaking in anger and bloodlust. Whoever took their son would pay  _dearly_ , fucking  _tenfold,_ and he would make sure to cut him slowly into fucking pieces.

Before he knew what he was doing, Sanji’s feet were already moving right in front of the other, faster and faster every second. His nakama’s shouts fell on deaf ears. He knew Chopper and Zoro would give him shit for running like this, but he didn’t fucking care right now. His left hand rested on his abdomen, feeling the slight bump protruding out of his belt line, and softly whispering to his baby to hold on for a while.

He ran inside the rock tunnel, heart beating loudly inside his chest until he finally saw their ship floating on the other side of the passage.

* * *

 

Kaitarou’s eyes fluttered open. He was met by darkness, the only source of illumination in the room was the dimly glowing oil lamp hanging against the wall across from where he was. The steel bars cast long dark shadows on his body, and with a slight groan, he heaved himself up into a sitting position, blue eyes wandering around to look for any sign of recognition of the place.

“Papa?” he said into the darkness.

When no one answered, fear started to creep inside his chest and he spoke once again, “Daddy? Sora-neechan?”

Nothing.

Kaitarou stood up and gripped the steel bars with both hands, attempting to budge them on their spot. He tried to kick them with all his strength, but the bars were unusually hard. With tears starting to sting behind his eyes, Kaitarou walked back into a corner and sat down with his knees pulled closely to his body.

Where was he? Where was his Papa? His Daddy?

Wrapping both arms around his legs, Kaitarou tried to remember the events that happened before he was taken.

_“Nee-chan.”_

_Sora’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of his voice. “Hm?”_

_“I need to pee,” Kaitarou said sleepily and tugged at her dress gently._

_Smiling fondly and stroking his hair, Sora said ‘okay’ and stood up from the bed, grabbing his hand to guide him out of the men’s bunkroom and towards the toilet under the stairwell._

_The teenager waited outside, pulling the shawl closer to her frame as a cool wind blew on Sunny’s lawn. Even though there were burning torches everywhere, the darkness still lingered inside the enormous arch. It was quiet, considering the fact that there were about five ships nearby the Sunny. The pirates might have fallen asleep, or perhaps on the island to do their tasks._

_Still, it was still eerie to hear nothing but the gentle ocean waves and the slight rocking of the ship. “Are you done?” she asked._

_“Washing my hands!” Kaitarou answered from the other side of the door._

_Sora heard the faucet turn on and the faint sound of gushing water echoed from where she stood. She was about to open her mouth to remind the kid to wash his hands properly when a big pair of hands clamped down on her mouth._

_She felt another pair grabbing her ankles and tying them with a rope. She tried to scream but her voice was muffled by the man’s hands. She struggled, but her efforts were futile. There were more shadows moving across the lawn and before she could do anything, the door to the toilet opened and stood there was the little kid – eyes widening and lips parting in shock._

_But before he could move, there was a swift movement behind him, like a blur of a shadow and then a man – dressed in black merchant’s clothes, fabric covering his face from the nose down – covered Kaitarou’s mouth to prevent him from screaming._

_The little kid kicked him on the shin and the man groaned in pain. “Fucking brat,” he hissed._

_Another man helped him gag the kid, all the while kicking and throwing punches as the two bulky men pinned him down against the lawn and tried to restrain his hands with a rope. When his small fist collided with a jaw, the man falling on his ass and distracting the other one, Kaitarou took this opportunity to kick the latter one on the stomach._

_He stood up and placed his bound hands on the ground, the image of his Papa playing through his head, as he spun around and kicked the burly man on the throat hard. There was a wheeze and painful coughing. He might’ve broken something._

_The other man grabbed him from behind and covered his nose with a fabric reeking with a nasty smell that made him dizzy in a span of seconds. His limbs fell limp and his whole body sagged inside the arms of his captor._

_“Hm! Hn–” Sora screamed against the man’s palms, hoping that her voice would somehow seep through his fingers. Then the man opened a bottle and placed it near her face. She tried not to breathe, refusing to take in even the littlest amount of oxygen until her lungs burnt inside her chest._

_“Stubborn bitch,” the man growled beside her ear and pressed the mouth of the bottle under her nose._

_It was only a matter of time when her system betrayed her and she reflexively breathed in deeply, the aroma of the chemical mixing with the air as she took a lungful to compensate for her burning lungs. Her head spun painfully and her eyes rolled back to her head, her body dropping down on the lawn with a_ thump  _as the man didn’t give a fuck if she had hit her head on her fall._

_“Kill him,” the man commanded._

_Without another word, the man holding Kaitarou threw the kid over his shoulder. He unsheathed his sword and impaled his coughing nakama through the chest. The man gasped and groaned in pain, falling on the ground with a bloodied torso and crushed airway._

_Kaitarou felt his captor move towards the railings. Through the last string of his consciousness, the little kid tried to open his eyes into a slit, blurrily taking in the image of the teenager lying unconscious on the lawn._

_“Nee… chan…” he muttered silently before the unending darkness embraced him._

Biting his lower lip, Kaitarou buried his face inside his arms, eyes shutting down tightly as the words ‘Papa’ and ‘Daddy’ fell down his mouth in a mournful cry. He was scared. He was alone, and he didn’t know where he was.

He could feel the tears pooling in his eyes. Then, for a moment, his Daddy’s voice echoed inside his head:  _“You’re gonna be strong, son. Even stronger than me and your Papa.”_

_“You’ll protect your little brother or sister, yeah?”_

_“I’m proud to call you my son.”_

As if the words set something aflame inside his chest, Kaitarou jerked his head up and tried his hardest to hold the tears back. His lips curled in desperation as his intense gaze bored holes on the opposite wall. He wouldn’t cry. His Daddy trained him to be strong; his Papa trusted him to be brave.

His fathers were strong… and he was their  _son._ He couldn’t fail them.

He  _wouldn’t_ fail them.

 

-TBC

* * *

 

_I would like to thank[ **auspizien**  ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/auspizien/pseuds/auspizien)for this awesome [ **Sanji & Baby Kaitarou art!** ](https://ladyelocin.tumblr.com/post/177088753036/auspizien-it-was-only-a-matter-of-time-before-i)Dude, you surprised me with this precious thing. Thank you. _

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love this baby moss.  
> Things are getting quite fired up, aren't they? What do you think is happening? Let me hear your thoughts/guesses! :)


	12. The Skull and the Gull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning: Character spoilers after the Whole Cake Island Arc.** So, uh, if you haven't read the recent manga updates and felt a bit uncomfortable about the spoilers, you can just ignore this update, or you can read the manga first. Whatever you want. Haha. *scratches head*

**Chapter 11: The Skull and the Gull**

 

Sanji’s heart was hammering inside his chest in disconcerting speed. His limbs felt unusually tired despite the short distance he’d just run; he could also feel the uncomfortable sensation of sweat gliding down and dampening the sides of his neck and face.

Stopping short after his head spun with blinding nausea, the blond propped a hand against the rock wall of the tunnel, wiping sweat off his forehead and wetting his dried lips with saliva.

He wasn’t usually like this. Not at all. But this pregnancy was starting to play with his body once again, altering his hormones and homeostatic balance – at least that was what Ranport and Chopper told him before.

Catching a glimpse of the Sunny in front of him, a new feeling of dread started to creep inside his mind and chest. “Kaitarou,” he breathed between intakes of deep breaths.

He couldn’t rest like this when he had a son to protect. A son who needed his protection right _now._ Thus, willing his body to stop fucking with him at a desperate time like this, Sanji managed to take a few steps forward before a large hand seized his arm and halted him dead on his tracks.

“What the hell, Cook?”

A low baritone voice echoed against the rock walls of the tunnel, momentarily catching him off guard. With a surprised stare, Sanji opened his mouth to say something but was cut off when the swordsman yanked him closer.

Zoro’s face was contorted with displeasure. And from those hard lines on the man’s face, Sanji already knew what words were to come. “What the hell are you thinking, running like that? You could’ve–”

_Tripped._

The words died on the swordsman’s tongue. He couldn’t even finish that thought, for fuck’s sake. He expected for a barrage of insults and curses, but he was a bit surprised that none came from the serious-looking blond in front of him.

“Let’s talk about this later,” Sanji responded calmly albeit breathing a bit faster than he’d like. “We need to find Kaitarou.”

The swordsman’s hand tightened a bit around the blond’s arm. “Just don’t run like that again.”

An exasperated expression made its way on Sanji’s face. “Come on, Marimo, that’s–”

“Promise me.”

Sanji regarded him for a moment, but even though he was staring intensely at him, the man’s gaze never faltered, not even for a second. Realizing that they were wasting time like two squabbling idiots, Sanji finally nodded. “Fine,” he answered with a sigh.

The swordsman seemed satisfied with that and he released his husband’s arm without another word.

* * *

 

Sanji found Sora sitting near the foremast, a blanket wrapped around her frail figure as Chopper tended the grazes on her forearm. Robin saw his approach first and her expression shifted to a more concerned one. “Cook-san.”

“What happened, Robin-chan?”

“It seems that Sora and Kaitarou were both attacked while the rest of the crew was away.”

“Where’s Kaitarou?” he asked even though he already knew to himself the answer to that question.

Robin’s dark eyes cast down. “He was taken away.”

Sanji’s throat constricted and he didn’t know if he could hold them in – these feelings of dread, worry and _rage_ all burning brightly inside him. His hands balled into tight fists and then he was trembling. Trembling with trepidation that something bad might happen to his son. He nibbled on his lower lip a bit too hard that he could feel his teeth gnawing at the abused flesh.

After a while, he felt an all-too-familiar hand rest upon his shoulder. The contact was far more welcome than Sanji would've liked to admit, but somehow, his shaking ceased and he was able to take in a deep breath to calm his nerves.

“We’ll find him,” Zoro said, his face grim and promising a world-worth of pain to their son’s captors.

“I’m sorry.”

A trembling voice snatched the two pirates’ attention. Sora clutched the blanket tighter around her small form, her head bowing down in shame as her shoulders trembled. “It’s my fault. I should’ve fought them. It’s my fault.”

Sanji’s heart throbbed as he watched her berate herself for something she didn’t do. “Sora-chan.”

“Then it’s my fault, too.” Ranport sat down beside her granddaughter, placing a consoling arm around her shoulder. “I shouldn’t have left them both to go to the island to gather some herbs. It’s my fault they got attacked.”

“Nobody’s at fault here.”

Luffy walked towards the group with the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates. Putting his hands on his hips, the captain flashed a bright smile towards their two guests. “Don’t worry! We’ll get Kai-chan back!”

The corner of Sanji’s mouth twitched up a bit. Typical Luffy.

“Sora-chan,” Nami started as she knelt in front of the teenager and held her hands, “do you recognize some of the attackers?”

Sora shook her head. “No. Their faces were well-covered. But their clothes looked like that of merchants’ to me.”

“Merchants?” Sanji’s heart leapt up his throat. “Y-You mean…?”

“No, Sanji-san. They’re not from the black market scouts.”

Suddenly, the blond released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. It was such a relief to know that those bastards weren’t after him anymore. At least, that was what he guessed. He hadn’t heard from them for two months now, so if they were still after him, then they would’ve made their appearance by now.

“How can you be so sure, Sora-chan?” the navigator asked.

Sora shut her eyes for a moment, seemingly trying to compose her thoughts for a brief second, but when she opened them again, her emerald eyes shone with a certain kind of certitude that Sanji knew very well.

“I managed to touch one of them.” She turned her head around and looked at the fallen corpse of one of the assailants. Her eyebrows pulled together at the memory of his nakama leaving him behind, killing him like a wounded animal when he became a burden to them.

“That man,” she began, “he’s not a pirate.”

A relieved sigh came out of Nami’s mouth. _So he wasn’t a spy. Great_ , she thought. It would have been bad if there were spies who had infiltrated their ranks. In times of war, that kind of tactic was a common one. And, fortunately, they hadn’t had that incidence ever since the war started, which meant that their location was still pretty much a secret to the world.

Until this thing happened.

Sora’s eyebrows furrowed as she turned her gaze back to Nami. “I don’t know why they took Kaitarou, but I’m fairly certain that it has something to do with Sanji-san and Zoro-san.”

Meeting the teenager’s gaze halfway, Sanji’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance. “What do those bastards want from me?”

“Your bounty?” Sora replied which prompted a few gasps from the crew.

“You mean…?” Nami started to say but cut herself off as her mouth remained open in muted shock.

“When I touched that man before I lost consciousness, I couldn’t believe it myself. But–” Sora’s face twisted with apprehension as she continued to stare towards Sanji and Zoro’s direction “–I’m afraid that the marines are desperately after the both of you.”

* * *

 

Sanji’s blue eyes were fixated on the stream of smoke rising from the mug held a bit loosely between his hands. As the strong aroma of oolong tea wafted under his nostrils, Sanji inhaled and welcomed the wonderful scent inside his lungs.

He missed smoking. In grave times like this, his cigarettes were the ones that always managed to calm his nerves down. Sucking on that nasty filter permitted him to think, to see things clearly and come up with the best solution. At least, that was what he was _used_ to. Until…

The vibration of heavy boots thumping against the floorboards broke Sanji’s reverie. He didn’t even bother to turn his head around to know who it was. The silent sound of ruffled clothes, the jingle of golden earrings, clink of sword sheaths – they were all too familiar that Sanji could recognize them in his sleep.

Warmth spread along his right upper arm as the man positioned himself close to him, shoulder touching his and elbows propping as well on the stern’s railings. Keeping an intimately close proximity to him. His sole presence comforting him in ways that his cigarette wouldn’t be able to.

“What do you want, Mosshead?” he asked, looking down on the golden brown color of his perfectly made tea.

“Robin told me to give you this.”

Flicking his eyes towards the offering, Sanji saw a ceramic bowl filled with freshly cut apples. As he brought down his tea and grabbed the bowl with his hand, Sanji took a piece of the fruit and examined it thoughtfully. His eyebrow rose in question and he turned his gaze beside him to look at his husband, whose infinitely frowning face was directed towards the black sea in front of them as if he was boring holes in the water.

If the deep red color tainting his ears was not an indication of his crime, then Sanji didn’t know what else to think. An amused smile made its way up to the blond’s lips and he took a bite on the fruit, the rich and succulent flavor bursting inside his mouth in an instant.

“This is great,” he commented after swallowing, “thanks, Marimo.”

Sanji saw a slight flinch on the swordsman’s eyebrow. “You should thank Robin,” his husband corrected him nonchalantly.

Chuckling, the blond replied, “You know, if you want to make it less suspicious, at least cut these apples like a novice.”

With a frown settling on the swordsman’s features, he looked at Sanji and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sanji rolled his eyes heavenward and sighed. “I’m a chef, and I know when someone’s adept at cutting things.”

Reaching out for his husband and tugging the collar of his coat, the blond leaned forward and planted a soft kiss against Zoro’s cheek. “Really, thanks for this. Your stupidity cheered me up a bit.”

When Sanji pulled back, the redness on the swordsman’s earlobe spread towards his cheeks and he attempted to hide his embarrassment with a cough on his hand. “I told you that’s Robin, idiot,” he uttered silently which made Sanji chuckle and shake his head.

A comforting silence stretched between them, with Sanji deep in his thoughts as he continued to eat the sweet apples which his husband _denied_ preparing for him. After a while, he grabbed the still warm tea beside him and took a sip, letting the flavors mix in his tongue.

“What are you thinking?”

“Hm?” Sanji asked.

“You looked lost in thought when I found you here.”

Sanji remained silent for a moment. The warmth of the mug was seeping through his hands, warming up his cold fingertips and for a second right there, he knew exactly what he was thinking the moment he realized the snug sensation that the warm tea was offering to him. That cozy feeling which he was guiltily indulging himself with as his son was lost in fuck-knows-where.

“It’s just–” he took in a deep breath “–it’s a cold night. When I left the ship, Kaitarou was in his sleepwear. I really hope he has his coat with him but, no, the fucking thing’s hanged beside his bed and I just can’t–”

Sanji closed his eyes and hung his head low, his fingers clutching tighter around the mug. “Fuck, I’m so worried.”

“Oi.”

When he felt a calloused hand beside his cheek, Sanji’s eyes fluttered open and he let the swordsman turn his head towards his direction. Zoro’s eyebrows were furrowed, as it always did, but there was a certain kind of burning emotion in his gray eye. He was angry and worried. Just like what Sanji was feeling right now.

“Our son’s strong. He’ll be fine.” When the blond opened his mouth to protest, the swordsman cut him off as he said, “I’ll find him.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No.”

“But–”

“You can’t, and you know it, Cook. Stop being so goddamn stubborn.” There was finality in Zoro’s voice and in normal occasions, Sanji would’ve given him shit for it. But he was right. Goddammit. He hated it when Zoro was right.

As if emphasizing his point, the swordsman’s hand rested on top of his abdomen, causing Sanji’s breath to hitch in his throat. There was a moment of lost thoughts as Zoro languidly stroked that small bump barely protruding the blond’s belt line. “You have _someone_ to look after, Shit-cook.” His eye moved up to meet his husband’s blue stare. “Let me handle this.”

Reflexively, Sanji’s hand went on top of Zoro’s, stroking his knuckles with his thumb as he contemplated what the man had just said. “Sprout.”

The silly nickname rolled out of his mouth before he could stop it and the swordman’s lips curved up slightly. “Yeah.”

Sanji looked at his husband searchingly for a moment, desperately trying to let go of his worries and just trust this resilient man in front of him. He wasn’t used to doing nothing. He _always_ did something. Alongside his crew. Together with Zoro. But this time, he had no choice.

Thus, when Sanji sighed and let his head fall upon the other man’s shoulder in defeat, Zoro instinctively wrapped his arms around the lean figure of his beautiful blond. It must’ve hurt his pride to just sit down while people around him risked their lives.

He understood what Sanji was feeling right now. And somehow, he wished that he could share that heavy feeling with him. Or perhaps take a chunk off his chest and swallow it whole just so the blond could sleep soundly at night.

Sanji looked so tired. Worn out, if Zoro were to describe it. Sometimes, he wondered if the cook looked like this when he was still carrying their first child inside his womb. Just thinking about that dreadful situation made Zoro want to reach out for whatever portal there was and turn back the time.

Just so he could hold Sanji like this inside his arms, helping his worries and frustrations ebb away with every stroke of his thumb against his shoulder and the small of his back.

“This is fucking annoying,” Sanji murmured beside his neck.

“Deal with it.”

“I want to break the bones of those assholes for what they’ve done to Kaitarou.” Sanji’s hand clutched a fistful of Zoro’s coat, clenching his fingers around the fabric as he trembled with barely contained rage.

“I’ll find him,” the swordsman repeated as a deep scowl settled on his face. “I can’t forgive those marine bastards for involving our son. If I have to tear down every marine base _brick by brick_ just to find him, then I swear to Wado’s mighty blade, I fucking _will_.”

* * *

 

“Stop acting on your own, you stubborn shithead!”

But instead of an apology, Sakazuki heard a mirthful laughter from the other end of the line. _“Don’t be mad now, Akainu,”_ the voice said, _“I just did what you ordered.”_

“There’s a reason why I didn’t invite you in that fleet meeting–” Sakazuki’s eyes narrowed “– _Ryokugyu_.”

There was another irritating laugh and then the admiral’s voice boomed from the den den mushi once again, _“There’s no way that a large-scale mandate to capture those Straw Hat brats won’t reach me. My wife’s particularly interested with that little fellow, might I add.”_

“Where’s the kid?” Sakazuki asked, his hand clutching tighter around the device.

_“My subordinates told me the little brat’s in the brig. They’re docked in an island right now, but they’re setting sail at first light. The tides are pretty nasty around that goddamn Wano Island.”_

“How did you find the Straw Hat Grand Fleet’s hideout?” Sakazuki heard a chuckle come out from the den den mushi in front of him and his eyebrows pulled together tighter in annoyance.

 _“I wonder how.”_ The tone of the admiral’s voice was playful – almost supercilious that Sakazuki wanted to punch his face in. He was making him look stupid, incapable and worthless.

The other guy was spitting his achievement in his face and Sakazuki growled inwardly at the thought. “Fucking bastard.”

_“Easy now, Red Dog. I’ll take the kid to you. And if I’m in the mood, maybe, I’ll give you Black Leg and Pirate Hunter, too.”_

Sakazuki was about to scold him for his arrogance when the den den mushi suddenly shut down. His eyebrow twitched in anger at the utter disrespect of his subordinate. Bringing his fist down on his table, Sakazuki yelled at the young marine inside his office, “Oi, brat!”

“Y-Yes, sir!” the young lad saluted.

“Bring me that goddamn _Smoker_ right now!”

“Yes, sir!” The young marine turned on his heels at once and exited the room without another word, running along the corridors as if his life depended on it.

* * *

 

The greenish-blue stone sat inside his palms, bathing in dark shadows just like his whole body.

He was seated at a dark corner, knees bent and kept close to his body, making him appear smaller than he usually was. The toes of his right foot curled against the floorboards. He was cold. And he was missing the other pair of his shoe.

Kaitarou ran his thumb slowly on the Turquoise stone necklace which Zoro gave to him. _Daddy said this stone will protect me_ , he thought.

With a small smile curving the sides of his lips, Kaitarou let the stone pendant slip inside his shirt. His Daddy gave it to him. He might get mad if he lost it.

Kaitarou blew a warm breath on his little palms, rubbing them together to generate heat in this cold, dark place. He used to be afraid of the dark. No, he was _still_ afraid of it. But Kaitarou kept his fear at bay, letting his gaze fall on the oil lamp hanging against the wall outside his cell, checking it from time to time as if the flame might evaporate any moment now.

Then he remembered one of the stories that his Papa used to tell him before he went to sleep when he was a little bit younger. About that little firefly who loved the fire so much that he tried to fly near it. Nearer and nearer towards that amazing, bright light that his wings caught on fire.

 _“Sometimes, the most beautiful things are the ones that harm us the most,”_ he remembered his Papa telling him as the blond stroked his hair and gazed down at him with that soft, gentle look in his eyes that always make him feel loved and at home.

Kaitarou felt that painful tug and longing inside his chest. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see his Papa. His Daddy. Everyone in that ship with a funny lion’s head.

He was too young to understand everything that was going on. Too young to even be in this helpless situation. But Kaitarou tried to stay firm. Just like his fathers. He couldn’t let the cold, the darkness or the hunger beat him down.

His Daddy taught him to be resilient, to be disciplined, like a great swordsman. All those days he spent training with him in the ship, Kaitarou learned that strength demanded courage. He couldn’t fully understand it, but he knew that in order to be strong, he needed to stop crying and face his fears.

Kaitarou closed his eyes and listened to the faint sound of the waves hitting the sides of the ship, lulling himself to sleep as the gentle rocking of the vessel added to the silence around him. He was already dozing off when he heard footsteps thudding faintly above the ceiling.

The little kid opened his eyes as the footfalls grew louder, as if going down a flight of stairs. Then after a while, there were shadowy figures of two men standing in front of his cell, obscuring the light source with their broad built.

Kaitarou’s eyebrows furrowed and he directed an antagonistic glare towards his visitors. His hands fisted on his loose pants but he tried to hide the tremble that was currently racking his nerves.

One of the men reached out and held the steel bar, inching his face closer and saying, “Wakey, wakey, little squirt.”

Kaitarou’s heart pounded louder inside his chest but he kept his scowl in place. He could feel sweat starting to dampen the sides of his neck despite the coldness of the room.

“Ah, my mistake,” the man corrected himself.

When a vicious grin slowly stretched the man’s mouth, Kaitarou couldn’t help the shudder that ran down his spine, especially when the man spoke his next words with grave disgust, every word dripping with hate and poison towards him. Towards what he _was._

“Wakey, wakey,” the man spat out, “ _filthy little pirate_.”

 

-TBC

* * *

 

 Art by yours truly. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [_Ryokugyu_](http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Ryokugyu) is a new admiral who was introduced in Chapter 905. His appearance and ability are still unknown though.


	13. The Son of Blades and Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

**Chapter 12: The Son of Blades and Fire**

 

“Captain!”

Lifting his dark eyes off the map, Law asked, “What is it, Bepo?”

The white bear closed the door behind him and stood properly in front of his captain. “There’s a ship sailing 35 degrees north the island.”

“What?” Law frowned. He and his crew were docked secretly in this island to scout for the Grand Fleet. Their fleet watchers told them about the slave trade that was going to happen in two days’ time. Kaido was going to sell some slaves from Wano to the black market in exchange for war supplies: food, clothes, and weapons.

Luffy told him to save them, even if the other ship captains in the Fleet expressed their refusal. But the Straw Hat captain stood firm in his decision. When Law looked at him, he saw this indignant and tenacious look in the younger man’s dark eyes, and for a second right there, he felt a slight pinch in his gut.

 _“Okay.”_ That was the only thing he said before he turned around and walked out of the meeting. And even though he didn’t catch a glimpse of the rubber captain’s face, he knew that he was _smiling_ broadly behind him, just like how he’d always pictured him every time he closed his eyes.

“Captain?”

The Surgeon of Death jolted lightly upon his subordinate’s call. Damn. He was daydreaming again.

After taking in a deep breath, Law took his sword that was leaning tall and steady against the wall and rested it gently upon his shoulder. “Show me.”

* * *

 

“Who do you think are they, Captain?” Penguin, one of Law’s subordinate asked him.

“I don’t know. The vessel containing the slaves should arrive tomorrow at dusk.”

Law once again looked through the periscope. It was a foreign ship, but indeed similar to that of a merchant’s. According to the reports, there hadn’t been any mercenaries visiting this island for a few months now because of the war, and also because Wano Island had been enforcing their authority in monopolizing the island’s goods.

Law felt an ominous feeling tugging at the back of his consciousness. He was missing something, something inexplicably dreadful, and he somehow felt drawn to that mysterious ship. “Everyone,” he addressed his crew as he turned around to face them, “I’m going to observe that vessel closely. Stay here in the Polar Tang.”

“But captain–” Bepo tried to say.

“It’s an order,” Law stated firmly. “I don’t want to cause any ruckus before we can even start our mission.”

With that, Law walked out of the control room and started to climb the stairs leading out of his submarine.

* * *

 

“You little pest!” The bald man hissed as he cradled his bleeding hand.

Kaitarou spat the blood from his mouth. “Don’t come near me!”

The other man, the bearded one, laughed at his comrade’s misfortune. “Man, you’re gonna make the admiral cry with your pathetic ass. Don’t let a kid overpower you, idiot.”

Walking towards the little kid who was firmly holding his stance as if he was a skilled fighter, the bearded marine crouched and said, “Come on, kid. I don’t want to hurt you. We’re just gonna go ashore for the night to pick something up and then board the ship again in the morning.”

“It was you.”

Arching an eyebrow, the man asked, “Hm?”

Kaitarou’s fists tightened as a dark expression settled on his young features. “It was you. You killed your nakama. Why did you kill your nakama?”

The man’s jaw slackened for a second. “Nakama?”

“That man. The one I kicked on the throat. Someone told you… to kill him. Why did you kill him? He’s your nakama, isn’t he?” Kaitarou bit his lip. He could still remember the frightened eyes of the fallen man just before this person stabbed him. His Papa told him that nakama cared for each other. So why did this man kill his friend?

“How did you know it was me?” the man managed to say after a few moments of silence.

Kaitarou lifted his gaze from the wooden floor. “Your eyes.”

“My eyes?”

“Yes.” Locking his gaze with the bearded man in front him, Kaitarou answered, “You have sad eyes. Like when you killed your nakama.”

The bearded man froze. What… was this kid talking about?

“Piss off!”

The bald man shoved his comrade out of his way. “I can’t take anymore babbling between you and this filthy pirate. If the squad leader finds out that you’re talking like a gooey old man to this little brat, you’ll be in deep shit, Robert.”

Glaring at the little kid, the bald man shouted, “Oi, Pig! Dog! Get the fuck in here! This little kid needs some restraining!”

After a while, Kaitarou heard additional footsteps descending the stairs. His sense of adrenaline fired up to a whole new level, especially when the bald man snatched the front of his shirt and threw him against the wall.

“Oi, Pel, what the fuck?!”

“Stay out of this, Robert!” the bald man, Pel, growled. “Intervene, and I’ll make sure the squad leader will have your head on a spike for fucking mutiny.”

The bearded man couldn’t do anything but to glare and watch the hideous scene unfold in front of him.

Kaitarou propped a hand under him and tried to stand up. His lungs burnt because of the impact. However, before he could hold himself up, a large hand seized his throat and lifted him off the floor, choking him as he tried to peel those big fingers away from his neck.

“This is for biting me, you little rat.”

The man punched him hard in stomach and for a split second, Kaitarou's vision darkened as immense pain started to spread in his abdomen. With a trembling hand, the little kid grabbed the man’s wrist that was holding his throat. He inflicted him pain until he heard his arm creaking inside his hold.

The bearded man hissed and punched the kid on the face. Kaitarou fell on the floor with a loud _thud_.

He was tired. In pain. But the little kid held his ground. Kaitarou glared at his opponent, the back of his hand wiping off the blood coming out of his cracked lip. And then he felt it, that familiar surge of energy he’d always felt whenever he was in this kind of situation.

Wrapping an arm around his abdomen, Kaitarou willed himself to stand on his feet. There were sparks around him, floating fleetingly… like crackles of _fire_. Then he was moving. _Fast_.

“What the–” the bald man flew across the room, crashing against the wall and sending splinters on the floor.

The other marine, Pig, tried to catch him but Kaitarou dodged and jumped in the air, spinning around to send a kick toward his face.

“Fucking brat!” Dog snarled and threw a punch towards Kaitarou, which the little kid was able to evade. Using his hand to pivot on the floor, Kaitarou kicked him on the chest which sent him flying up the upper floors.

Once his opponents were defeated, Kaitarou took in several deep breaths to ease the pain in his abdomen. He lifted off his shirt to inspect the damage, and he wasn’t that surprised to see the red, angry bruise that was starting to spread from his midline.

Robert couldn’t believe his eyes. The kid’s soles, tiny and barefooted, were _burning_ like molten steel. The floorboards underneath his feet were starting to get charred because of the heat. “You–” he attempted to say but was betrayed by his own speech.

 _This kid,_ he thought, _this kid is the son of two of the strongest pirates in the Grand Line._

“Robert-san,” Kaitarou called him in a strained voice, grimacing as he slightly doubled over in pain.

Then he heard the rushed booted footsteps of his comrades going down the stairs. The bearded man watched as the marines restrained the struggling little kid. “Put him in chains,” the squad leader ordered as his subordinates chained Kaitarou’s feet and wrists behind him with kairōseki, the strongest metal in the world, even though he wasn’t a Devil Fruit user.

“R-Robert-san,” the little kid whimpered in the midst of all the marines restraining him.

“Hm?”

The bearded man jolted.

“Why is this kid calling you?” the squad leader asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Are you trying to help him?”

Robert stood properly and saluted to his officer. “No, sir. I would never betray the navy, sir.”

“This kid attacked us, sir,” Dog said hoarsely, his hand rested upon his fractured sternum. “He’s a feisty one. Just like Roronoa and Black Leg.”

“And you let a little kid kick your asses, am I reading it right?”

Dog blinked. “Sir?”

The squad leader scowled and punched his subordinate in the face. When the man fell down on the floor, the officer hissed, “Imbicile.”

Eyeing his scared subordinates, he ordered, “Take that kid ashore.” When his gaze shifted on Kaitarou, his eyebrows pulled together in annoyance when he saw the little kid glaring back at him. _This nasty pirate_ , he thought in disgust.

“Take that kid ashore,” he repeated and turned around. “Don’t break any of his bones, but make sure he won’t stand up fighting.”

Kaitarou watched the man walk out of his cell. But before he could try struggling again, the hand that was holding his head pulled his hair and threw him across the room. Then there were hands again. _Fists_ and _shoes._ He couldn’t remember anymore as each hit felt exactly the same. Painful. _Painful._

As he sat slumped against the wall and peered through the shadows of the men beating him, he saw a flash of the bearded man’s face glancing briefly towards him. There was a punch and his head turned harshly to the side.

He fell on the floor hard. His vision was starting to darken but he could clearly see that man’s expression.

_Robert-san… is sad._

Kaitarou tried to crawl away from his aggressors, but a kick to his stomach caused him to cough out blood, the thick red liquid splattering on the floor beneath him. His limbs felt weak and he let himself fall on the floorboards.

His vision was swimming and all he could see was the orange light coming from the oil lamp hanged across the room… and the bright blue crystal of his pendant.

And for a moment, he saw a flash of his blond father’s eyes staring down gently at him. He could feel his Papa’s hand stroking his hair at night, lulling him to sleep and tucking his deepest nightmares away with his caresses.

And then there was his Daddy – his strong, dependable father – the one who gave him this necklace and believed in him to be as strong as him and his Papa.

His lower lip quivered and he felt hot tears glide down his face. “Pa…pa… Da… ddy…”

Letting out a silent sob and allowing the tears to flow freely, he muttered, “I’m… sorry.”

After those words, Kaitarou closed his eyes and let the swirling darkness engulf him.

* * *

 

Law hid behind a tree as the men from the foreign vessel started to disembark. He could hear faint conversations from this distance, but he couldn’t understand what the hell they were talking about. Thus, deciding to hide closer, Law stealthily moved from tree to tree, hiding behind tall bushes until he was a good distance from the men.

“–the kid?”

Law’s eyebrows pulled together.

“Ah,” one man answered, “there.”

Peeking behind a tree, Law saw a man climbing down the rope ladder beside the ship. He was carrying a small kid on his shoulder – a kid who was _chained_ with heavy shackles.

The corners of Law’s lips pulled down angrily and the hand grasping his sword’s hilt tightened. _Bastards,_ he thought.

“Tie him against that tree,” a man ordered, “I don’t want that _devil’s spawn_ causing trouble again. ‘Ya hear me?”

“Yes, sir!” the man carrying the kid saluted and proceeded to follow his order.

Law frowned in confusion. Sir? A salute? What the–?

The surgeon’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me they’re…?” he whispered in shock.

Are those men the navy? But why the hell are they here? And who is that kid?

Law decided to move closer towards the captive. He cautiously moved behind the trees like a cat, careful enough not to step on dried leaves or broken branches. When he peeked through the leaves of a tall bush, Law was then able to make out the familiar face of the kid.

And he swore, _fuck_ , he fucking swore that he stopped breathing for five seconds.

There tied firmly against the tree was the little Straw Hat kid – battered and completely unconscious. “K-Kaitarou-ya?” he whispered in disbelief.

But before he could fully digest what the _fuck_ was Black Leg and Roronoa’s kid doing here, there was a loud _gunshot_ and a _bullet_ passed through the side of his face. If his reflexes weren’t topnotch, then he would’ve had his brain splattered on the sand right now.

Law immediately hid behind a tree faster than lightning, his heart hammering inside his chest for the sudden assault.

“Squad Leader Tenshou?”

After a moment, the man who fired the gun spoke, “I thought I heard something over there.”

“Do you want me to check it out, sir?”

“No. Just focus on retrieving that _parcel_.”

“Roger, sir!”

Law bit his lower lip and began to retreat stealthily towards his ship. He really didn’t want to leave the little kid here alone, but he had to contact the Straw Hats first. And whatever the hell this was, whatever the fuck happened when he was away, he knew that this happening was far from being good.

* * *

 

“…ro?”

He groaned.

“…oro?”

What the?

“Zoro?”

Opening a sleep-laden eye, Zoro blinked the haziness away as he tried to make out the feminine features of his nakama gazing down at him.

“Shh.” The orange-haired navigator hushed him. “Come,” she whispered silently and started walking out of the man’s bunkroom.

There was a slight shift beside him and his attention was easily caught by the sleeping figure of his husband. The cook was sleeping soundly – at last – after a few hours of worrying about their son. Zoro tried to console him to sleep, and he was glad that it worked out. The cook needed rest – so fucking _much_ of it.

Thus, silently getting off their bed, Zoro walked almost soundlessly out of the bunkroom. Outside, Nami was waiting for him with that worried look on her face. “We received a call from Law.”

“Okay.” The swordsman shifted his weight. “And?”

Tucking some orange strands behind her ear, she said, “He found Kai-chan.”

Zoro froze. He felt his heartbeat picking up its pace as the revelation hit him. Law found his son. He fucking _found_ him.

“Where?” he asked and took a step towards her.

“At Sapurai Island. Law’s at the den den mushi right now.”

Zoro didn’t wait for another second before sprinting towards the galley.

“Idiot! The other way!”

Cursing under his breath, the swordsman turned a full hundred and eighty degrees and began running towards the right direction. When he pushed the door open, he saw Luffy holding the receiver and talking to Law about something.

“Luffy.”

“Eh?” The captain turned his around and smiled when he saw Zoro. “Oh, Zoro! Glad you’re awake!”

“I wanna talk to him.”

“Sure.” The captain gave his first mate the receiver and stood back with Nami.

Swallowing the intense emotion burning behind his throat, Zoro spoke, “Oi, Torao. Do you have my son?”

There was silence for a few seconds before the den den mushi sprung into life. “ _No_.”

“What?”

_“I don’t have him. I saw him, but I thought of contacting you first before doing anything.”_

“Right,” Zoro responded. He understood. He knew that it was logical to inform them of the situation first. However, he couldn’t help but be frustrated of not being the one to cut those bastards’ head off. If it were him, he would march through those marines and start chopping a limb or two. He was impatient, he knew that. Especially when it came to his loved ones’ sake.

_“Mugiwara-ya told me about what happened. I don’t know if these men have Devil Fruit users, but my crew and I can try taking them on.”_

“Beat them up, Torao!” Luffy cheered.

“Shut up, idiot!” the navigator scolded him with a smack on his head. “Don’t be so impulsive! We don’t know how capable our enemies are.”

“Eh? But Torao’s strong. He can beat them up!”

Nami wrapped his arms around her captain’s neck. “Luffy! I said–”

“I’ll go.”

“Eh?” Both Straw Hats halted when they heard what their swordsman said.

 _“Zoro-ya?”_ Law asked through the den den mushi.

“I’ll go,” the swordsman repeated, “Stay put and _don’t_ fucking take your eyes off my kid while I’m not there, ‘ya hear me? I’ll cut you up if you do.” After that, Zoro cut off the call and immediately turned around to look adamantly at his captain.

“Captain. I request for your permission to set sail.”

“EH?!” Nami exclaimed in surprise as Luffy just grinned and laughed at Zoro’s decision.

“Okay! You can set sail right now!”

Zoro grinned and sprinted out of the galley.

“WHAT? Luffy!”

“It’s fine, Nami!” the rubber captain patted her shoulder. “When Zoro’s so determined like that, you just can’t say no, right?”

“But…” Nami looked worriedly at the open door of the galley “…will he be okay? It’s the marines we’re talking about here.”

“It’s gonna be fine!” Luffy said as he arranged the straw hat on his head. “Zoro’s a father now. Marines, pirates or sea monsters. It doesn’t matter whatever they are, because he would save Kai-chan no matter what...” Luffy smiled broadly “…right?”

* * *

 

“Cook?”

Sanji stirred.

“Oi, Curlybrow.”

Face twisting in displeasure, Sanji said in a sleepy voice, “What the fuck? Marimo?”

The swordsman grinned down at him as he sat at the edge of their bed. “Took your time, princess.”

“I’m gonna kick your ass for waking me up. This better be good.” Hands rubbing sleepiness away from his eyes, Sanji sat up and let out a yawn.

“I’m setting sail.”

“Say what?”

“I said, I’m setting sail right now, Shitty Cook.”

Sanji’s hand froze.

“Law found Kaitarou in Sapurai Island,” the swordsman added, “The travel won’t take long. I’m going right now.”

The blond felt his heart hammering inside his chest. They found his son. They _found_ him. “Is he okay?”

“I…” the swordsman’s mouth remained open for a while “…wasn’t able to ask him about that.”

“What?” Sanji exclaimed. “Are you an idiot? You should’ve asked about that first, you green algae!”

“I haven’t thought about it, okay?!” Zoro replied, annoyed. “Law’s there. Our son’s gonna be fine.”

“I _know_ that, but what if those marine bastards–” Sanji didn’t want to say it. He felt pained just trying to think about it.

But Zoro knew what his husband’s next words were. He knew Sanji well enough to decipher some of his train of thoughts. “If they touched even a single strand on Kaitarou’s hair, then I fucking swear I’ll kill all of them.”

There was this ominous aura emitting from the swordsman. His grey eye glowed darker, like that of a demon’s. And if he didn’t know how kind and soft-hearted this man in front of him really was, then he would probably be sprinting out of his way right now.

Sanji’s hand went on Zoro’s face, cupping his cheek gently and instantly washing away that diabolical look in his eye. “You’re not a killer, Zoro,” he spoke softly. “Remember that.”

Zoro was awed by the blueness of Sanji’s eyes. He was looking at him with affection, and it was so fucking beautiful that it hurt. His chest constricted and he felt like suffocating.

“But I’ve killed hundreds before, Cook. Maybe thousands. Or even more.”

“I don’t care,” the blond replied, frowning. “You’re not gonna be like that anymore. Not on my watch.”

Sanji leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “You’re a _person_ , Zoro,” he said after pulling back to look him in the eye, “Don’t be the demon that those people wanted you to be.”

“Cook, I–”

Zoro was speechless. He didn’t know how to respond under that penetrating blue gaze. Sanji was reaching out to the deepest corner of his soul, bathing that insatiable darkness within him with his light. Satisfying him. _Saving_ him.

Gripping the blond’s hand and squeezing it with fondness and gratefulness, Zoro said with a small smile, “I understand.”

Sanji beamed at him and Zoro’s heart almost leapt out of his chest when he saw that _crinkle_ on his nose. Fuck. The cook looked good with it and right there, Zoro realized that he wanted to put that look on the cook’s face every time no matter what.

“Bring Kaitarou back, will you? Don’t make me come there just to kick your sorry ass, Mosshead.”

Zoro chuckled and snatched Sanji’s lips for a brief but firm kiss. When their lips parted, the swordsman stood up and smiled at him. “I don’t need your curly ass there, Cook. I’ll be taking Franky with me and we’re gonna be home before you know it.”

* * *

 

_Clang._

The things on his desk clattered when his fist struck the furniture. He was frustrated. _Angry._ He didn’t want to obey his superior’s orders but what choice did he have?

“Smoker-san,” his loyal subordinate said worriedly.

“Those pigheaded admirals,” Smoker hissed, “what do they think they’re doing? Involving an innocent kid like that.”

“Kid?”

The Vice Admiral’s eyes shifted towards the feminine figure of his subordinate. “You don’t know the news about Black Leg and Roronoa Zoro, Tashigi?”

He saw her flinch at the mention of the Pirate Hunter’s name. He knew that the rivalry ran deep between them and that Tashigi was firm in asserting her justice on him. She believed that a pirate shouldn’t be in possession of one of the 21 O Wazamano grade swords: the Wado Ichimonji.

However aggressive Tashigi might be towards her rival, Smoker knew the deep respect she held for Roronoa as a fellow swordsman.

“I’m sorry, but I seem to not know what you’re talking about, Smoker-san.”

The vice admiral studied her for a moment before placing his arms on his desk and clasping his hands together. “Roronoa Zoro and Black Leg Sanji…” he started “…they’re married.”

Tashigi’s stance grew tense. “…What?”

“They got married, and as ridiculous as it sounds, they have a _son_.”

The female captain’s jaw slackened. It couldn’t be. They couldn’t have a son… could they? They’re both males. So, how?

“It appears that Black Leg has this strange condition which gives him the capability of bearing a child. It’s very rare, but not unheard of,” Smoker explained, “The World Government tried to eliminate any remnants of that preposterous past many years ago. And it would be a big scandal if the news about his condition spread around the world. It would mean that the World Government _failed_ , and you know what will happen next once the Navy and Mariejois’ reputations get tainted by that.”

Tashigi’s hand around the hilt of her sword tightened. “Civil War.”

“That’s right,” Smoker agreed. “The people and some of the kingdoms involved in the World Government will start to question the effectiveness of the alliance. Power will devour power. Kin turning against kin. Each with an intention to seize control over the world. All of that just because of that hole in history which Black Leg created.”

Tashigi bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn’t let that happen. The world needed peace and stability, and she wouldn’t let a mere pirate destroy all of her ancestors and the navy’s efforts in giving those to the common people.

“Akainu ordered my team to catch Black Leg and Pirate Hunter,” Smoker stated, watching closely her reaction. “I know that you don’t have any issue about pursuing them as _pirates_. But now that you know that they have a _kid_. That they are _fathers_ …”

Smoker placed his clasped hands on his mouth. “What are you going to do, Tashigi?”

-TBC

 

* * *

 

_**Here's a baby Kai-chan for you. <3** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of in a writer's block right now, but I'm glad I was able to type an update after the busy months.
> 
> I just want to say thank you for continuing to wait for updates and for supporting the ZoSan couple, especially the little mosshead, Kaitarou. It warms my heart that so many of you find him as a good character. :)
> 
>  
> 
> **[Tumblr](http://ladyelocin.tumblr.com) | [Instagram](http://instagram.com/ladyelocin) | [Twitter](http://twitter.com/ladyelocin)**


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